Pain Is Strong, Love Is Stronger
by Marimba Buddy
Summary: A continuation of Random and Yet Not's "Dominance" story. Is everything the way Kate wants it? Or is what's really going on more than what anybody wants to deal with?
1. Brawls & Dominance

**A/N:** For those of you who don't know, Random and Yet Not has posted an unfinished story over a year ago by the name of "Dominance". Due to the cliffhanger and unfortunate situation for Humphrey as well as Kate (you'll see why) I've turned this into an actual story, since Random and Yet Not did say the opportunity was open. This first chapter lightly covers what happens in chapter 2 of the original story. I realize that none of this or what happened in "Dominance" could realistically happen, but I've read many reviews stating, "How will Humphrey react afterwards?" and "What happens next in their relationship?" This story provides the answer in a way I know people can actually relate to, with an interesting back story I hope you enjoy it and find it moving enough.

* * *

CHAPTER 1-Brawls & Dominance

The night was foggy and damp. The forest was barely visible; one would struggle making out a tree branch three feet ahead. One gray omega managed to stumble over to a tree. On the other side, another omega approached the same large tree and made his way around, colliding with the other wolf.

"Whoa!"

"Calm down, Dwain!" the gray wolf shouted in a whisper. "It's me!"

"Oh, Chris!" Dwain said. "Sorry about that. Didn't know it was you."

"Yeah."

"Who's after us?"

Chris' face sunk. "I think it's…_him_."

Dwain's face dropped to match Chris'. "No…not William. Not now. Why now?"

"I don't know," said Chris, "but the day has finally come. Shame…we're still one wolf short. Why did he have to leave us to be with his mate? Why couldn't he have just told her the truth? I know he didn't want her to feel guilty, but…_why_?"

"Let's not complain," Dwain said. "Where's Reagan?"

"There!" said Chris, pointing. "Reagan!" he called out in a loud whisper. "_Reagan_!"

A third, light brown-colored omega appeared from the mist. He was slightly shorter with a long scar that ran down the length of his left front leg.

"There you guys are," he said.

"Well?" said Chris, waiting for an answer. "Is it William?"

Reagan sighed. "Yes, it is. He's finally found us."

"Why's he looking for us, anyway?" Dwain asked.

"I think he wants to find Don first," said Reagan. "After that…" He trailed off, thinking of his best friend.

A rustling came from the bushes near the tree. The three wolves took defensive positions, preparing for the worst, only to find their leader emerging and staring down at them with a smile on his face.

"You know, I don't think William's going to find us that easily in this fog," he said, chuckling.

"Sorry, Don," said Reagan.

"Not a problem," said Don. "Now, William is on a hot pursuit for us. We've tried reasoning with him many times, but he just won't listen. Now, we must make sure he harms no one else."

Suddenly, a large figure appeared behind Don. Reagan noticed it first and gave Chris a nudge in the ribs.

"D-Don," said Dwain. "Behind you."

Don turned just as the figure took a furious swipe. Don blocked the slap.

"Evil never wins, William. _Never_," he told the large, dark figured, which began attacking. Don dodged everything that came his way. All that came from the figure was loud growling. Don attempted to move further away but the figure threw itself forward and made an ugly slice in Don's chest.

Don collapsed, coughing. The figure gave an evil chuckle and disappeared back into the fog, sniffing out his next victim.

"Don!" Reagan, Dwain, and Chris ran over to their injured leader, who looked up at his squad with weakened eyes.

"You'll pull through," Chris attempted to convince the others as well as himself. "You've always survived. You'll pull through this one, too."

"I'm afraid not," said Don in a weak voice. "Not this time. My blood is soaking the ground, and it's scent is, no doubt, going everywhere. He slashed me across the heart. I don't think I'll be surviving…" he coughed "…this time."

"No!" shouted Reagan. "You can't die! We don't have anyone else as leader!"

"Yes you do," Don reminded him, his eyes growing close to closing. "The time has come. There's not much time before I bleed out. It'll be a slow but painful process. I probably have only a week to live. Quick…take me to my top wolf. Take me to Jasper."

* * *

A week later, the sun was setting in Jasper Park. A young omega by the name of Humphrey was finishing his dinner. He couldn't believe his mate, Kate, had caught such a large caribou. It was enough to feed almost half the pack. He smiled and got up, beginning to walk back to his and Kate's den as the moonlight began to take over the valley. He was thinking about how things were going with Kate. It had been nearly three months since the trip to Idaho. He remembered back to how Kate had publically admitted her love for him. He smiled.

"Humphrey."

He stopped as he heard Winston's voice from behind.

"Yes, Winston, sir?"

"Is something going on with Kate?" Winston asked, a concerned look in his eyes.

"I don't know. Is there?" Humphrey asked.

"Well, it's just that, yesterday I saw her and her friends stowing a rope inside your den. It looks like it could be from the rangers' tool shed. I don't know how or why they've got it, but it's worrying me. That and they keep going off into the forest. One day I followed them and I heard something that sounded like, 'Make sure he doesn't move' and 'Never take no for an answer.' Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"No, sir," said Humphrey, sharing his curiosity. "I think I'll ask her about it in the morning. But right now, I'm really tired."

"Ah, yes. Well, goodnight then, Humphrey."

"Goodnight, sir."

The two parted, and Humphrey continued walking to his den in the distance. He saw Kate's friends walking away. As they passed by him, one of them, Tonya, smiled.

"Have a good night, Humphrey," she said.

"You too, Tammy," he responded, waving back at her.

Humphrey looked up and saw his mate staring at him. He rubbed noses with her and walked with her into the den. At once, he went straight to his favorite spot, feeling very relaxed. He noticed, however, that Kate still hadn't laid down.

"Aren't you gonna come to—?" He opened his eyes and saw Kate looking at him with a rope hanging in her jaws. "What's with the rope?" he asked her.

Kate threw a nervous look on her face and dropped the ropes. "Nothing. I just felt like chewing on some rope before bed. Helps me relax my jaws."

"Oh," said Humphrey. "Okay, then." He closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep. He pictured himself sitting next to Kate with their puppies running around them. And he was laughing…Kate was laughing. Everything seemed perfect, until…

Humphrey's eyes flew open. He glanced over at Kate and noticed she was still awake. It was a bit weird, but she didn't wake him up. Then he realized…he had to go.

"Got to go answer the call of the wild," he told her before getting up and walking outside. He walked over to a bush and did his business.

Suddenly, it hit him. The smell of something foul hit him. It wasn't any rotting caribou. No…it was the smell of blood. And it was close…real close. Humphrey grew curious, but decided he would worry about it in the morning. At the moment, he was just too tired. He walked back into the den, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep, but when he reentered, he saw Kate lying in his spot, looking at him directly in the eyes.

* * *

"He's getting worse!"

"He might not make the night!"

"I know! Let's just keep moving!"

The three wolves were carrying their bleeding leader on their backs, trying their best to keep moving.

"Here! Here should be good!" said Chris as they laid him down on the ground.

"Is this Jasper?" Dwain asked.

"Close," said Reagan. "This is a forest right outside Jasper. Right…you two stay here and make sure Don's alright. I'll be back."

Reagan turned and ran through the darkness, determined to reach the park before it was too late. As he finally reached the edge, he turned and saw a dark wolf moving very stealthily through the grass. Reagan recognized the wolf's profile and followed. The wolf walked straight to a den. Reagan watched as he looked into the den, laughed, looked some more, frowned, and walked in. Reagan didn't know whose it was then, but he had a horrible hunch a second later when he heard a loud thump. The wolf emerged, revealing a tan wolf lying unconscious, a large bump on her head. The dark wolf was dragging someone behind him, looking very worn and mentally shocked with ropes on his front paws and around his muzzle. Reagan grew mad and walked over.

"Nice choice of a mate, Humphrey," taunted the dark wolf. "Look at what you've got yourself into. You can't speak or move at all. She just made William's job a lot easier, now didn't she?"

Humphrey's eyes widened and he began panicking.

"Now, stop that," said the dark wolf, halting on the dragging. "You can come quietly or I can get Kate to rough you up some more. Your choice."

Humphrey immediately stopped and looked the wolf dead in the eyes.

"That's better," said the wolf, laughing. "See? Better to come quietly. I mean, it's not like there's anyone who can save you."

"Oh, really?"

Humphrey and the wolf looked over at Reagan. Humphrey smiled, but the wolf looked downright angry.

"You! How did you get here?"

"You know us," said Reagan. "Always on the move. Now let him go…now."

"Who's going to make me?" the wolf said.

Reagan stepped forward. "Who are you, anyway?"

"The name's Jack," said the wolf. "I'm William's new right-hand wolf. He's told me all about both of you."

"Yeah?" said Reagan. "Has he told you about all of us?"

"No, just about you five who came to his den that day. Although, he does know about Robert, too. Shame such a strong Alpha would be hanging around with a bunch of omegas like you," said Jack.

"No one's too good for peace and love," said Reagan.

"Oh, I think William is," said Jack firmly. "Speaking of which, I really need to get going."

Reagan brought his paw down on Jack's preventing him from dragging Humphrey some more. Jack took a swipe and slashed Reagan in the face.

"You can't win in a fight against me!" Jack shouted. "I'm an alpha, therefore I dominate!"

He jumped at Reagan, who dodged out of the way. Jack hit his head on a large rock that was behind Reagan. His unconscious body slid to the ground.

Reagan brushed the dirt off himself and looked down at Jack.

"I've got news for you, Jack. Evil never truly dominates."

Reagan walked over to his friend and cut the ropes off. Humphrey looked up at him and spoke for the first time in the last hour.

"Thanks, old friend."


	2. The Loss

CHAPTER 2-The Loss

"What are you doing here?" Humphrey asked his friend, getting up.

"We've got a serious problem," said Reagan sternly.

"You mean, besides the fact that William is involved?" Humphrey asked.

"Oh yeah," said Reagan. "We saw him. Last week. We were in those damp woods on the border to Montana when he attacked us." Reagan dropped his voice before continuing. "He hurt Don badly."

Humphrey's eyes went dead. "Is he—is he okay?"

"No," sighed Reagan. "In fact, he's probably going to die soon…maybe tonight. He really wants to talk to you."

"Lead me," said Humphrey.

They began running slowly due to Humphrey's aching paws, which had angry rope marks on them as well as his muzzle.

"So, Humphrey…" Reagan asked as they went. "Why were you bound, anyway? What did Jack mean when he said 'Nice choice of a mate' and 'I can get Kate to rough you up some more'?"

Humphrey wasn't sure how to answer. "Kate…well…she _dominated_ me."

Reagan stopped suddenly and sent dirt flying through the air ahead of him. Humphrey stopped too.

"She _dominated_ you," said Reagan.

"Yes," said Humphrey, already knowing where Reagan's concern was.

"Humphrey, I won't lie: when you said your mate was an alpha, I was happy for you, yet a little suspicious. You know how much I thought I loved Suzie."

"Yes, I do," said Humphrey. Suzie was Reagan's old girlfriend from his home in Montana. She was an alpha, and Reagan was happy because he loved her. He wanted to be her mate. But one night, he came home and she bound him with leaves. She raped him literally half to death. When he attempted to make an escape, she ran her claw down his front left leg, giving him a scar for life. According to Reagan, she used the word _dominance_ a lot that night. She had fallen asleep while leaving him bound next to her. She was planning on making him a sex slave for life. His mind was utterly destroyed. He managed to cut himself free on a sharp rock and began walking out. The movement woke Suzie up and she asked where he was going. He looked at her and said he was leaving and not coming back. She grew angry and shouted that she never loved him to begin with. Heartbroken, Reagan fled north, where he ended up in Canada.

"Humphrey, what are you thinking?"

"I don't know," said Humphrey sadly. "I love Kate, and I don't want the same thing to happen between us. I don't think she actually hates me. She even said, 'I'm not out to hurt you because I love you.' I'm not sure. I think I need to show her what we do…teach her how to…_let go_."

Reagan stared at Humphrey. "Let go? Her? Are you sure? She's an alpha after all. There's a reason it's mainly omegas that learn how to let go of their own self-interests. We were lucky just to get Robert. Remember?"

Humphrey winced. The night that Robert let go was also the night he, himself, let go. It involved much physical and emotional pain. Being an omega, he never thought he could bring down what he did. He shook the memory from his mind, realizing that all was fine now.

"Reagan, I have to try. How else am I going to get through to her? I could tell by the look in her eyes tonight: she wasn't satisfied. She was not satisfied with what she was getting. She doesn't know that only love can bring satisfaction."

Reagan sighed. "Well, she's your mate. I wish you good luck."

"Thanks."

A loud grunt of pain echoed through the trees.

"Oh no!" said Reagan. "I almost forgot! Don!"

The two of them sprinted again through the woods, until they came across the horrid sight.

Chris and Dwain looked up.

"Humphrey," said Chris, smiling. "It's good to see you again."

"Yeah," agreed Dwain. "You're looking a lot stronger…and with weird rope burns. What—?"

"Forget it," said Humphrey quickly. "I'll tell you later. Where's Don?"

The two wolves motioned over to the bleeding wolf. Humphrey ran over. The weak eyes found the blue ones.

"Humphrey," groaned Don. "I'm glad you found us."

"Don, please tell me you'll be okay!" Humphrey said desperately.

"I'm afraid my hour glass is almost out," said Don.

"No!" Humphrey shouted miserably. "That can't be true!"

"It is," said Don. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that denying it will only heighten the misery afterwards. But don't mourn for me endlessly. I will die honorably. I wanted to protect the Peacemakers. We stand together."

Humphrey nodded. "Together."

"Besides, I need to ask you something," Don continued. "Do you remember that day, beneath the orange sky?"

"You mean on the way to William's den?" Humphrey asked. "Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"I remember that day," said Don. "Do you know why? Remember? I told you that I wanted you to take over for me when I passed."

Humphrey remembered now.

"Don, I told you. I'm nervous. Being omega leader of my pack is one thing, but being the leader of about fifty wolves who travel around in order to spread love and peace? I'm not sure I can handle it."

Don looked troubled. "Humphrey, being nervous is understandable, but you can't let that stop you. Never let fear dominate you. If you do, you tend to keep your head down in self-preservation and let evil win around you. Besides, I believe in you."

Humphrey looked shocked but his face lifted.

"Thanks Don."

Don was always like a second father to Humphrey. Humphrey always felt so confident around him.

"I wish you the best of luck," said Don. "May your wisdom and compassion lead the Peacemakers to victory in this battle against William. Whatever you do…" he began coughing violently "…don't—lose—_hope_." He gave one final cough, smiled, and closed his eyes, moving no more.

"Don?" Humphrey said, giving him a shake. "Don? _Don_?"

He stared at his former leader's motionless body. Humphrey's eyes became pools and he let the pain out immediately. The other three sat still, taking in the death that had just occurred. Reagan walked over and placed his paw on Humphrey's shoulder.

After what seemed like hours of weeping, Humphrey looked at his three former squad-mates with determination boiling in his eyes.

"No more of this," he said calmly yet firmly. "There won't be another death if I have anything to say about it. As of this moment, you've got yourself a new leader."


	3. Reunion

CHAPTER 3-Reunion

"Welcome back, Humphrey," said Chris, as Dwain gave him a high five.

"Nervous?" Reagan asked.

"Absolutely," replied Humphrey simply, "but like Don said. I will not let fear control me. I'm taking action."

"Wow, you're sounding just like Don already," said Chris, impressed.

"I know," said Humphrey. "Alright. We need a battle plan."

"What'll it be?" Dwain asked.

"First, I want you and Chris to take Don's body back to the cave. We shouldn't leave his body for decay. Reagan, you and I will go back to Jasper and bring Jack to the cave. We'll keep him in custody. The more we know about William's battle plan, the better."

"You got it," said Reagan.

Chris and Dwain hoisted Don's body onto their backs and disappeared into the woods while Humphrey and Reagan ran in the opposite direction. They found Jack's body unmoved and threw him on their backs. Due to the extra weight, they couldn't run, so they had to walk fast.

"Humphrey? What is it?"

"Kate."

Reagan sighed. "What about her?"

"She'll be wondering where I am," said Humphrey.

"Humphrey, you'll have time to meet up with her again later. Right now, we have to get Jack to the cave before he harms anyone else."

"I know. I'm just saying, she was the reason why I left."

"You didn't leave, Humphrey," said Reagan. "Once a Peacemaker, always a Peacemaker. That's how it works. Once you truly taste that sense of love and harmony, there's no going back. Don knew you'd come back eventually. He just knew you would."

"I know," said Humphrey. "I know."

After nearly fifteen minutes of walking, they found the entrance to the Peacemaker cave. Through the entrance tunnel, they went down the small decline and entered the large main cavern.

"Well, look who the caribou dragged in."

Humphrey turned at the sound of the voice to see the alpha known as Robert walking towards him.

"Robert. How are you?"

"Fine," said Robert, giving Humphrey a quick hug. "It's been different the past few months without you, but we've managed. Glad you're back, though."

"Thanks. How's Chelsea?"

"Fine. We've mated a few times since you left."

"That's great. Congrats."

_Congrats, indeed_, Humphrey thought. He was happy for Robert, yet disappointed because his hopes for mating with Kate were lowered sufficiently about two hours prior.

"So, what's your first order?" Robert asked.

Humphrey and Reagan placed Jack on the ground. "This wolf is William's new right-hand wolf. His name is Jack. He nearly took me to William to have me killed a little while ago, but Reagan stepped in. Can you take Jack to the holding den? We want to see how much we can get from him."

"Yes, sir," said Robert, picking up Jack and walking down another opening of the cave.

"So what do we do now, boss?" asked Dwain.

Humphrey wasn't used to being called boss, but he didn't care. His goal was not to be the 'best leader' but to keep everyone safe.

"For now, I guess we need to get some sleep. We'll have a meeting around mid-afternoon tomorrow. Everyone should be there. I also want to talk to Robert about our plans for tomorrow."

"Right-o. See you in the morning, Humphrey," said Dwain as he and Chris yawned and walked to the opening that led to their personal dens.

"So, Humphrey," said Reagan. "How are you feeling about this whole thing?"

"Anxious," said Humphrey. "I just hope I can do well enough to keep us alive. I don't know about William. He's even stronger than Robert. I remember he almost killed me the day we met him. Remember that? He had me pinned to the den wall by the throat. I tried to pry off his paw but I couldn't because I wasn't strong enough. Then, he used his other paw and nailed me in the stomach. That hurt. He never did take into account what we had to say, which was a shame. I felt Don explained himself perfectly. You know what William's problem is? He's so proud. He's the top alpha. Strong, muscular, strong, aggressive, strong. He thinks all omegas are a waste of space and should be treated like dirt. At least all five of us got out of there alive, though. It would've been a shame if one of us had died for nothing."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't have been for nothing, per say," said Reagan. "If we're doing what we are destined to do, which is spreading love and peace everywhere we go, then nothing we do is in vain."

"True," Humphrey agreed. "True."

"Well, I think I gonna turn in," said Reagan, yawning. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Humphrey followed Robert through the tunnel into the holding den. It was an enclosed space with an opening at the top. When in use, the prisoner was placed inside and the entrance would be guarded. When removed, the guards would help the prisoner out of the hole. There was a small opening for communication on the side. Inside was Jack, still unconscious. Robert turned at the sound of Humphrey's entrance.

"All set, sir," he said.

"Thank you, Robert," said Humphrey.

"Humphrey," said Robert. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you get those marks on your paws and muzzle?"

Humphrey's face sunk again. "Kate, my mate, sexually assaulted me earlier tonight."

Robert gasped. "She pulled a 'Suzie'?"

"Not necessarily. She doesn't hate me, and she didn't give me any scars. She just seems to be under the impression that it's only fair if she gets to be on top and have fun with me without my consent before we mate."

"Ouch," said Robert. "I'm sorry, my friend."

"This doesn't really seem like her idea, though," said Humphrey thoughtfully. "This seems like someone else's idea."

Humphrey thought for a few seconds before a few likely culprits came to mind…Kate's friends. He shook his head at his lack of suspicion as he remembered Tonya's wide smile at him that night.

_"Have a good night, Humphrey."_

"Uh, Humphrey? You okay?"

"What? Sorry, I was thinking."

"Yeah, I'd be thinking too if I had just been…well, raped…not that I would, me being an alpha. No offense, but I'm not seeing that happening. Just thinking realistically."

"I know," said Humphrey.

"Well, I'll go get two of our guard wolves in here to keep an eye on him," said Robert, motioning over to Jack. "Then I'm going to bed. Chelsea's probably wondering where I'm at. I told I was just going to see what the commotion was about."

Robert began to leave.

"Robert?"

Robert turned. "Yeah?"  
"Forgive me, but you didn't have any plans about…you know…_dominating_ Chelsea at all, did you?"

"Is that what Kate called it? Dominating?"

"Yes."

"No, I didn't."

"I'm sorry. I'm a little paranoid. I just don't want this kind of thing to happen to anyone else. I'm sorry. I trust you."

"I know, Humphrey," said Robert. "I know Chelsea's an omega, but I love her. I don't plan on mating with her unless she wants to as well. I guess I have you to thank as well. You helped me let go of my self-seeking pleasures, and I would never have met her if I didn't join because of that."

"You're welcome. Goodnight, Robert."

"Yes, goodnight."

Robert left, leaving Humphrey to stare at Jack's body.

"Where's William hiding, huh?" Humphrey asked him quietly.

Humphrey was half-hoping for an answer, even though he knew Jack was still unconscious.

"Wherever William is, he's not getting in here," said Humphrey. "I will not let anyone else die. Not any of these Peacemakers, not anyone from my pack, not even the children your boss abuses and murders."

Humphrey's eyes began to water again as he saw once again in his mind all the deceased children outside of William's den. Some were slaughtered for his pleasure, others for disobedience for slave work. Some girl pups had been raped. Humphrey suddenly felt himself shaking. William was not going to cause any more harm as long as the Peacemakers could do anything about it.

Humphrey turned and walked back into the main cavern. Don's body was still resting in the middle of the cavern.

"Don," Humphrey spoke to the motionless body. "I miss you already, Don. We had such good times together. I remember the time I got my back paw stuck on that rock and you told me to act like it was a spider. That got me free pretty quick." Humphrey laughed. "Then there was the time when we were going up north and the cold was horrible. You said we could always get close to each other to get warm, and we all freaked and ignored the cold."

Humphrey looked up at the ceiling. He saw the same roots hanging from the ceiling. He remembered how many times he would count the roots in the mornings while waiting for Don to give the plans.

Humphrey sat there in Don's body's company for hours, just thinking. He hadn't had the chance to just think for a while.

"Don," he finally spoke again. "Don, am I doing the right thing? Can I lead these wolves in the right direction? I'm not sure about it anymore. Am I doing the right thing?"

Humphrey looked at Don again and immediately felt a strange sense of assurance. He smiled and walked through the opening that led to the personal dens. He walked into his old den and smiled at the familiar surroundings. It was small, but it was roomy enough and had a small opening that let in fresh air from outside. Humphrey laid down and finally let the sleepiness take over as he fell asleep to the golden beams of dawn.


	4. Morning Surprises

CHAPTER 4-Morning Surprises

Kate awoke to a bad headache. She rubbed it and opened her eyes. It was morning. Last thing she remembered was looking down at Humphrey, bound beneath her. She looked over and saw that he was gone. Instantly, she grew worried. Someone had obviously knocked her out, and the disappearance of Humphrey frightened her.

_Where could he be?_ she thought. She got up and walked outside of the den. Everything seemed like a normal morning. She ran down towards the field, searching for her mate.

"Kate!"

Kate turned at the sound of Tonya's voice.

"Hey," she said softly.

"So…" said Tonya. "How was it?"

"How was what?"

"The dominance!" said Diana desperately. "How was the dominance?"

"Did Humphrey do everything you told him to?" another friend asked.

"Yes," said Kate miserably. Humphrey did do what she wanted, but something about forcing Humphrey to do what she wanted him to do didn't seem to offer her the pleasure she wanted. It seemed like fun before, but now that it was over, she began imagining the scenario from Humphrey's mind. She found her desire to have the first actual time to be special returning.

"And did you go all out on him?" Tonya asked.

"Yes," said Kate. That was another thing. No matter how hard she tried, that sense of guilt she felt way down kept her from satisfaction. She tried harder and harder to fill it by dominating more, but to no avail.

"Nice," said Tonya. "So, does Humphrey know you're the boss, now?"

"I think so," said Kate.

"Good. So…where is he?"

"I don't know."

Diana stared at her. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Listen, something happened last night. Right when I was about to finish, someone hit me hard on the head and I passed out. When I woke up just now, Humphrey was gone."

The friends suddenly replaced their smiling faces to looks of terror and confusion.

"Wait…what?" said Tonya.

"Someone came into the den, knocked me out, and took Humphrey," Kate repeated.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that, Kate," said Tonya. "I mean, we know you love him."

"Wait!" said Diana suddenly. "What's that? Over there?"

She was pointing at something in the field. Kate ran over to it.

"I—I can't believe it."

"What?" said Tonya, as she and the others ran over. "What is it?"

"It's—" Kate picked it up and held it in her paws. "It's the rope I used on Humphrey. Looks like they've both been cut."

"Why would someone knock you out, steal Humphrey, then free him?" Diana asked.

"Maybe one of Humphrey's friends did it," said another friend, starting to growl. "Maybe they didn't like the way you were dominating him. Let's find out who it is."

"No," said Kate strongly. "It's not one of Humphrey's friends. I doubt anyone Humphrey knows would intentionally harm me to the point of unconsciousness. Besides, why would they drag him out here before freeing him instead of right inside the den?"

Her friends' faces grew curious as the realization hit them.

"I think," said Kate, examining the evidence. "I think that someone else stepped in. I think whoever took Humphrey was stopped."

"By who?" Tonya asked.

"I don't know," said Kate, "but then again I don't know who took him, either. I think I'll go talk to my dad about it."

"Okay," said Tonya. "We'll be by the stream, okay?"

As Kate walked, she began to remember back to what had happened. Perhaps if she could pick out something from her memory, to try to remember who the wolf was that took Humphrey, but she couldn't. The blow to the head had caused her to black out immediately. It still ached. She just wanted to find Humphrey and be with him, regardless of what he thought of her at the moment. Then again, she didn't know what had happened so she could only hope that Humphrey was still alive.

She reached her parents' den and found them just waking up.

"Oh…" Winston groaned. "I'm getting a bit old for this. Might not be too much longer before I retire."

He looked over and saw his daughter standing there.

"Kate. Come in. What is it?" He noticed the distraught look on her face.

"Dad, there's a problem, but first can I tell you something?"

"Sure, Kate. What?" said Winston, sensing it was about the rope.

"Last night, I—" Kate wasn't sure how to explain it. "See, the past week my friends have been telling me I need to be dominant with Humphrey. They say I need to show him who's boss in the relationship, since I'm the alpha. Last night…"

Winston's ear grew more perked every second. He didn't like where this was going.

"Last night, I dominated him."

"So," said Winston, "does that mean you mated with him? What, were you on top or something?"

"Yes," said Kate.

"Okay, so why is this problem so big, then?"

"Well…"

* * *

"Humphrey!"

Humphrey's eyes shot open. He had only been asleep for about an hour. He was still tired. Reagan was standing there, looking alarmed.

"Reagan, what is it?"

"Robert says he just saw a bunch of black wolves, probably William's, heading straight for Jasper Park."

Humphrey wasn't tired anymore. "What?"

"There's a bunch of bad wolves going to your home," repeated Reagan.

"Well, tell Robert to get the other alphas and go after them."

"He can't," said Reagan simply. "Chelsea needs him for something."

"Okay," said Humphrey, pondering. "Well, you'll have to go, then."

Reagan looked nervous at the statement, but realized his duty.

"Okay. I'll grab the alphas and we'll go." He turned and ran out.

Humphrey got up. His worry about Kate kept his drowsiness at bay. Things were not going at all well. He had always feared this day would come, the day when William finally attacked back. Humphrey was always worried deep down since the day William's rant was first put to an end. Humphrey opened his mind up to more jokes and more omega things since then to lighten the worry, but it was still there. There were times when he seriously considered telling Kate the whole thing, which he knew he probably should anyway, but his fear of her guilt drove him nuts. He didn't want her to feel bad that he would give up something like this for her. He loved her, but he also loved being a Peacemaker. It was filling to see wolves everywhere giving up their differences to unite so they could stand strong against evil when it rolled around rather than be destroyed by their own bickering. It was surprising how well-behaved everyone at Jasper was compared to many of the packs elsewhere. Being a Peacemaker was what filled his void with Kate gone. It helped him survive the winter without her. When spring came they took a break, and Humphrey went back to Jasper for an extended visit to loosen up with his buddies again. After everything from the alphas' return to the trip to Idaho, Humphrey told Don he would be settling down with Kate, but that he wouldn't forget everything that he had been taught and he'd use it for the good of the pack. Don was happy for Humphrey, yet disappointed that his top wolf and planned successor was leaving, but he reminded Humphrey that the conscience would lead him in the right direction when the time came. And that time was now. Humphrey knew that his destiny was to lead his old Peacemaker brothers and sisters to safety, along with anyone else who needed the assistance and was willing to accept it.

Humphrey walked into the main cavern. Robert was walking towards him.

"Humphrey, there you are. Reagan just left with the alphas. They're heading to Jasper."

"Good," said Humphrey.

"You alright?"

"Yes," said Humphrey. "Hey, Robert. Do you think we have enough room down here for an entire pack to fit?"

"We should. Why?"

"I think Reagan is going to try and relocate them down here for the time being. You know how Don always mentioned that possibility. Reagan always would jump at the mention of it. He wanted to give them an actual full experience of life here, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do," said Robert. "Yeah, Reagan's a weird one, but I personally think he has a right to be, considering what Suzie did to him. He wants nothing more than love and compassion from everyone and for everyone. I expect nothing less, either."

"That's good," said Humphrey. "You've really changed, haven't you?"

"What, from when you've last been here or what I used to be before you came to my den that day?"

"What you were."

"Yes," said Robert, wincing at the memories of his life before Humphrey helped him let go. "I have you to thank for that. I can't believe I went from wanting to kill you to loving you like a brother that quickly."

"I remember," said Humphrey, recalling how wet both of their eyes were when all was said and done. "What does Chelsea want?"

"She wants to speak with me about having pups."

"Oh, really? Congrats."

"Thanks," said Robert. He remembered back to the conversation the previous night. "What do you think will happen, between you and Kate, I mean?"

"I hope I don't have to leave her. But I doubt that'll happen."

"What happened?"

"I walked in. I started to go to sleep, but she wasn't lying next to me. She's got a rope in her jaws. I ask her what she was doing and she said it helped her relax her jaws. She dropped it and a little while later I had to go. When I left, I could smell Don's blood. I knew something might happen, but I didn't know what, and I was tired. It was late. I walked back in, and she's laying my spot. I assumed she was keeping it warm for me. Then she said, 'I own the entire den tonight. You're lucky I don't make you sleep outside.' I thought she was kidding."

"That's awkward," said Robert. "You think Suzie said the same thing to Reagan?"

"Don't know," said Humphrey, realizing the frightening possibility. If that did happen to Reagan and he ended up leaving…

"What happened next?" said Robert.

"Where was I? Oh, yeah. She tells me to lay down and I do after she slaps me twice on the butt. She keeps threatening to do it again unless I cooperate, which involves me having my front paws and muzzle tied so I can't move or speak. Then, she tells me what's going on and then just…starts _dominating_ me. Then Jack stepped in and started to take me to William until Reagan saved me."

Humphrey looked up at Robert and saw him with tears in his eyes.

"Rob?"

"What?" he said, blinking. "I'm sorry. I was imagining if I had become mates with Chelsea before you taught me to let go, how I might have done the same thing to her. I might have killed her. The pain of that scenario would be permanently unbearable. I'm sorry. I didn't realize I could be such a softie."

"You're not a softie," said Humphrey. "It's good you've admitted that."

"You think?"

"A child keeps his problems to himself," explained Humphrey, "but an adult knows when to admit things. That reminds me…I need to talk to Kate when I see her next. I have some serious explaining to do about all of this."

"Good luck," said Robert. "Well, I'm off to have that talk with Chelsea. I'll see you this afternoon for that meeting you mentioned."

"See you."

Humphrey watched Robert go. He would try his hardest to get through to Kate, regardless of what it took. If he could get through to Robert, he could certainly get through to someone who was willing to listen to him in the first place. He walked back to his den for a little more sleep before he had to make his first leader's speech in front of about fifty wolves, something he had never done before.

* * *

Winston was speechless.

"So…" he managed to stammer. "That's what you've been hoarding that rope for?"

"Yes," said Kate in fear.

"Why would you steal it from the rangers' hut?"

"We didn't. We found it on a tree."

"Why would a rope be just _conveniently_ hanging from a tree?" Winston asked.

"I don't know," said Kate. She began to think. That was a really good question.

"So, let me get this straight," said Winston. "At your friends' persuasion, you tied up Humphrey and basically raped him last night?"

Kate began to lower her head. "Yes."

"And you don't know where he is now?"

"No," said Kate. "Dad, is he dead?"

"I don't know, Kate," said Winston, wanting more than anything to comfort his daughter in her guilt and worry, but he just didn't know. "We'll just have to hope, but we can send out a search party in the meantime."

"That'll have to wait," said Hutch, walking in and overhearing something about a search party. "We've got a problem. A group of enemy wolves have been spotted on the border of the forest. They look like they're coming this way. They look big and tough, too."

"Okay," said Winston, following Hutch outside. "Go. Gather up everyone you can find. Tell them to come to the valley immediately."

"Yes, sir." Hutch took off.

Winston inhaled and let out a loud howl to signal all wolves.

* * *

_"I told you, Humphrey. You'd better get used to this."_

_"No, Kate. No."_

_"Yes, Humphrey. Yessss…"_

Humphrey woke up again. He was sweating a river. _Great,_ he thought. _Now I can't even sleep without more monstrous visions of that night again._

He got up again and decided to pace around his den. He needed to think again. Suddenly, a howling echoed from a distance through the sun-hole.

_Winston,_ Humphrey thought. His thoughts glanced back over to Reagan. _I hope he gets there in time._

* * *

"We might be under attack," Winston explained to a group of confused wolves. "There have been sightings of some rather dark wolves around. They may be a serious threat, I will not lie. I do not wish to fight them, because the casualty count would be extremely high, but I am willing for us to do whatever is necessary to keep them from taking over our pack."

"Winston," interjected Tony. "Do we have enough wolves for a counter-attack?"

"I'm not sure," said Winston. "Hopefully. We don't know how many wolves they have."

"Winston, sir," Garth spoke up. "There's only about fifty of us total."

"Well, then," Winston considered. "Let's prepare ourselves."

"Yeah, that'd be a good idea," said a snarling voice from behind him. A large wolf stood there, glaring at Winston and Tony dead in the eyes.

"Who are you?" growled Winston.

"My name's unimportant," the wolf replied. "The point is you've got a wolf somewhere in here that we're looking for. So, let's not make the boss unhappy. Where is he?"

"I don't know who you're referring to," said Winston, "but even if I did, I wouldn't hand him over to you. You're plain evil, I can see it."

"Ooh, old wolf's a wise one," the wolf taunted. Eve growled. "Don't get any ideas," he told her. "There's a hundred of us. We outnumber you. Our boss has instructed us to let the war come down if you attack us."

Eve reluctantly remained silent.

"You should get that temper fixed, too," said the wolf. "It could get you into trouble."

Tony stepped forward. "This is unacceptable! To come into our pack and threaten us! Who do you think you are?"

"I think I'm on the side that is clearly stronger and more numerous," said the wolf angrily. "Now, will you cooperate or make this difficult?"

"There will be no cooperation from us," said Winston simply.

"Oh, really?" said the wolf, as many more appeared on cliffs and all around, searching and causing a havoc. "See that? That's the sight of you losing. You can't win so give up. Surrender to us, and we'll spare you."

"I don't think so," said Winston, determined not to back down.

"Okay, then you can be the first victim," said the wolf raising a paw and swiping at him.

Winston grabbed his paw and brought it to the ground.

"Ouch! What are you—? Let go of me!"

"No," said Winston.

The wolf tried to lunge forward, but Winston pushed him back. Winston ran forward and pinned him down.

"Quickly!" he called to the pack. "Into the forest before the others realize! We need to find a discreet and secure place to plan."

Everyone got up and high-tailed it into the woods until only Winston, Eve, and Tony were left.

"Don't you dare come near my family or pack," said Winston. "You will not be killing anyone today, nor any day. Do you hear me?"

The wolf simply continued staring up at him. "Oh, I hear you, but I'm not sure if I'll be listening to you. Wait 'til William finds out. You're in for it, now."

With that, he made another attempt to jump at Winston, who merely pushed him to the ground again, sending dust flying up everywhere.

"Come on," said Winston. "Let's leave now."

"What about him?" Eve asked.

"If we do anything to him, the others won't stop searching for us until they find us. It'll surely start an uproar. It's better to keep things as they are for now."

Eve nodded. The three of them took off after the rest of the pack into the woods just as the wolf managed to get up.

"The woods, huh? Hey!" he called to a group of nearby wolves. "Follow me."

* * *

There was great murmur amongst the wolves of Jasper. Hutch and Candu had stopped them deep within the confines of the forest. They were trying to keep everything under control.

"Calm down, everyone!" Hutch was shouting. "Listen, Winston and the others should be along soon. Remain calm!"

"Thank you, Hutch," said Winston as the three of them emerged from the trees. "Alright, we need to find somewhere safe for a little while until we can come up with a battle plan. Anyone have any ideas?"

"Dad?" said Lilly nervously.

"Yes, dear?"

"There's someone behind you."

Winston turned. Sure enough, the same wolf was standing there, followed by five others.

"Boo," he said sarcastically.

"How did you find us?" Winston asked, taking a defense position.

"Um, maybe because I'm not deaf," the wolf said in the same sarcastic tone.

"Just tell us who you are!" Tony demanded.

"Fine, very well. I'm Zeke," the wolf said. "My pack is here on important classified business. My boss, William, is on a hunt…a wolf hunt. We don't want to have to hurt you, but we will if you attempt to aid our enemy…or enemies, really."

"You're evil," growled Winston. "You'll be hurting no one today. No one."

"We'll see about that," said Zeke smarmily.

There was laughing issuing from the other wolves, until they were cut short by two alphas and three omegas falling from tree branches and landing on them, knocking them out.

"What the heck?" said Zeke, turning. "You! You guys are dead!"

But he, too, was cut short of his insult when a sixth wolf landed on him, knocking him unconscious as well.

Winston looked at this wolf and asked, "And who might you be?"

The wolf turned and looked at him. "I, Winston sir, am a Peacemaker. My name is Reagan."


	5. A New Leader

CHAPTER 5-A New Leader

Winston's eyes widened in relief.

"You're a Peacemaker?" he asked.

"Yes," responded Reagan.

"Thank you," was all Winston could say. "We were in trouble there."

"Anytime," said Reagan. "We're always willing to help."

Winston looked at the wolves behind him. "Wait…where's Don?"

Reagan sighed. "He was attacked last week and badly injured. He died last night."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Winston. "I liked him. Only met him once when he came here last summer to see what our pack was like, but I knew he was a good wolf who cared much about everyone. Who killed him?"

"The same wolf who's in charge of the attack against your park," said Reagan. "William."

"Who's that?" Garth asked loudly.

"A large, hot-tempered wolf whom we've tried to reason with before, but he wouldn't listen," Reagan explained. "There was a fight, and we were just trying to defend ourselves and each other. We managed to stop his rant, but he swore revenge on us one day, and now the day has come. He's started by murdering Don, and he'll, no doubt, keep moving down the line of us one-by-one until we've all gone."

"That's scary," whimpered Lilly, as Garth held her.

"Anyway," Reagan continued. "I wouldn't want to leave you all out here where more of William's wolves could attack you. Would you like to stay at our base for a while?"

"I wouldn't want to cramp your space. I know you guys do get busy."

"It's no trouble," said Reagan. "Really. We have more than enough ample space. You all could stay with us for a while until you come up with something to stop William. Since we're fighting William right now too, we might even be able to combine into a large resistance group."

"Since you have experience against this wolf, that sounds beneficial," said Winston. "What do you think, Tony?"

"Hmm…well, I've never heard of these guys, but if I guess if you trust them, I will, too."

"Good," said Winston, turning back to Reagan. "Very well. Lead us on."

"Good," said Reagan. "Follow me, then."

Reagan turned and began walking into the woods. The rest of the pack followed, with the two alpha and three omega Peacemakers in the back. They walked for about ten minutes or so before stopping for a breather.

"We're almost there," Reagan announced to everyone. "We'll be there shortly."

"Mr. Reagan?" said Lilly nervously. "What's that?" She was pointing to the scar on his leg.

"Oh, this?" he asked. "Oh, well…when I was younger, before I joined the Peacemakers, I lived in a pack down in Montana. I had a girlfriend named Suzie who was an alpha. I thought everything was great until one night I went to her den and she…she bound me with vines and raped me."

Lilly gasped. Garth looked completely disgusted. Kate's ears perked up.

"She said that I would make a wonderful sex slave," said Reagan sadly. "That's when I discovered she never really loved me. When I tried to moved away, she…she ran her claw down my leg, giving me this scar. So, after she fell asleep, I broke through the vines and began walking away. She woke up and asked me where I thought I was going. I told her I was leaving and I wasn't coming back. She got angry and said, 'Good! Get out of here! I never loved you anyway! Go, you pathetic omega!'"

"Ouch," murmered Hutch.

"Yeah, it hurt," said Reagan, "but Don soon found me before I died in the forest from a lack of food. He brought me in and I've been with the Peacemakers ever since. It's been…shoot, almost a year now. Anyway, enough talk. We're almost there. Let's keep moving."

They continued walking for about five more minutes until they reach a large rock that had an opening in it.

"It's just through here," Reagan said. "You can squeeze right in. We'll have to stop in the main cavern before we go to the dens. I'll need to ask Robert which one's available. Also, we're having a meeting to acknowledge our new leader and I'll have to start it. You don't mind hanging around for that, do you?"

"Not at all," said Winston with a chuckle.

"Good. Okay, then. Down we go."

He lead them into the main cavern where all of the Peacemakers were gathered chattering. A few3 glanced up at the large pack that had just entered behind Reagan and gasped in surprise. Although it was mentioned and considered many times, they hadn't actually brought anyone else down here before.

"You can sit anywhere," said Reagan. "I promise, this meeting won't take long. I'll bet you're anxious to get planning so you can get your park back."

Winston nodded, signaling for everyone behind him to sit.

Reagan walked up to the front of the cavern.

"Hey!" he called loudly, his voice echoing throughout the cavern. "Listen up!"

The talking and whispering ceased immediately.

"Alright, now…Robert has told you about Don. Yes, I'm afraid all of the rumors are true. William is back, and now Don is dead."

There was a brief murmur of grief.

"But," continued Reagan, "we shall have time to give him a proper send-off later. Right now, we've got to prepare ourselves for a possible war. Yes, this may be a time for war. As you know, we'll need a new leader. Fortunately, we've got one. As you all know, he was Don's personal choice for a successor, but he left three months ago because he found a mate and wanted a still-peaceful yet simpler life with her. However, given the circumstances, he has realized his responsibility to lead us and do everything in his power to protect the innocent. Will you please join me in welcoming back one of my best friends of all time…Humphrey."

Humphrey, hearing his name, stepped forward out of the cavern and was met by cheers. He smiled at all of his friends, and even fist-pumped a few on his way up. His heart seemed to rejoice…he felt so welcomed by his old Peacemaker brothers and sisters. He smiled as he walked up to Reagan and gave him a quick fist-pump before turning to the crowd.

"Hello," he said somewhat nervously.

There was a bunch of happy cheers.

"Wow," said Humphrey. "Looks like you guys still have that 'Let's do it' attitude. Great."

There was laughter. Humphrey managed a chuckle.

"You're doing fine, bro," said Reagan quietly. "Just keep going." Humphrey nodded.

"Well, I must say I wasn't expecting to be back here except for visiting purposes," Humphrey admitted, "but it looks like fate had other plans for me. I realize to follow someone like Don is big paw prints to fill, but rest assured that I will do my best."

There was much murmured agreement. Out of the corner of his eye, Humphrey saw Robert nod curtly, and Chelsea gave him a quick wink.

"Okay," Humphrey announced. "Now, on to business."

He saw his pack in the back of the cavern. He saw Kate and paused, his mind racing. So, they were safe, then. That was good. He hadn't spoken with Kate since _it_ happened. The last communication he had with her was when he was asking her what she was doing after she had tied his front paws. He lost track of his trail of thoughts until he felt a nudge from Reagan.

"Yes," he continued. "As we all are aware, William has finally made his return. He has, by the looks of it, already taken over Jasper Park. We all know what he probably wants…he's angry that we tried to help him but he refused. Now, he wants to eliminate us all, starting from those who were there and did the most, in his mind, damage and working all the way down to those of us who were here when it happened. In other words, Don's gone…and I think I might be next." He remembered back to how angry William had been with him in particular as well as Don.

There was a quick gasp. Lauren, now a mother, held her puppy as he began whimpering in fear.

"But relax," said Humphrey quickly. "No one besides us, and now Jasper, knows of this location. We shall be fine in here in the meantime. No need to worry."

Everyone seemed reassured at this. Kate, however, was beginning to grow worried. She never knew Humphrey was involved in things like this. She always knew he liked keeping peace, but this was a new side to him. It frightened her that he was a prime target to a mass murderer, especially after what had happened the previous night. She didn't want to think about what would happen if they never got a chance to be together again. She listened as her mate continued his speech.

"Now, I would like all squad leaders to meet me in here at sundown," said Humphrey, thinking of what Don would say while still trying to maintain his own sense of personality. "Until then, can I have Sam and Bill take their squads and patrol the perimeter?"

"Will do," said Sam. Kate noticed he had a very similar profile as William's wolves. She wondered if he was one of William's wolves before but quit. As he and the other alpha who had brought them here left, she turned her attention back to Humphrey.

"Okay, everyone," he said. "That's all for now. We shall see if we can't progress more tomorrow. Until then…show compassion and show love…"

"…help the world sing to the stars above," everyone echoed and cheered.

"That's right," said Humphrey, raising his paw as everyone followed him in unison. "You're dismissed."

The wolves dispersed, and Humphrey said something to Reagan, who gave a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm gonna head back into the den," Humphrey said. "See if I can't get a few more minutes of sleep. Or just rest. Tomorrow's gonna be a big day, and it starts tonight."

"Okay, see you, man," said Reagan, hopping down and walking over to the pack, receiving confirmation from Robert along the way. "Okay, guys. Robert says we've got a large cavern on the side available. Follow me."

All of the wolves did, but many of them were still shocked at Humphrey's position, and that he had even taken part in such a group.

Humphrey watched as Kate disappeared into the opening on the other side of the cavern. His heart was burning with regret. No doubt she was scared, confused, worried. He suddenly wished he had told her about all of this. True, she might've felt bad, but there seemed to be a greater remorse for hiding something so big from his own mate. He was certain she would try to talk with him privately real soon, but he couldn't wait…so he followed her.


	6. We Are Mates

CHAPTER 6-"We Are Mates"

Reagan led them all into a large cavern just off of the main one.

"Here we are," he said. "Make yourselves at home. And feel to wander wherever you like…we always enjoy company."

"Thank you," Winston said. Reagan nodded and left.

"Okay, everyone file in," Winston announced as everyone entered. "first of all, I have no doubt that all of you…or at least most of you…will show proper respect to the Peacemakers for allowing us to stay here for a while, especially since one of the members of our pack is now their leader."

There was murmuring in agreement.

"That sly dog," Kate heard Salty say.

"Yeah," Shakey said. "I never knew Don chose _him_. This is so great."

Kate seemed puzzled. _Did they know about all this?_ she thought.

"I hope he doesn't die," said Mooch. "I don't want to lose my friend."  
"Me neither," said Shakey. "This William sure sounds insane."

"That's because he is," said a voice from nearby. Humphrey was standing there.

"Yo, Humphrey," said Salty, as he and the others fist-pumped him. "What's going on? You know, other than this whole William thing?"

"Nothing much," said Humphrey, "except for…" He trailed off, nervous.

"Humphrey," Winston called out. "Congratulations. Do you need something?"

"Yes," said Humphrey. "I'd like to speak with Kate, please."

Normally, Winston would've suggested he wait until after the meeting, but remembering what had happened the previous night, he nodded.

Kate got up and followed Humphrey out through back into the main cavern. Reagan saw them passing and nodded at them, knowing what Humphrey was getting at. They also passed by Robert, who also nodded at them and said, "Humphrey." Chelsea smiled at him and Kate as they passed. Kate found it weird and unusual how a group run by an omega and consisting mainly of omegas would include such an alpha who also had an omega as a mate, but she didn't question.

Humphrey led her down to his den. When they arrived, Kate quickly felt an inexplicable feeling of unfamiliarity which led her to believe Humphrey wanted to talk to her about something serious.

Humphrey sat by the opening that allowed the dimly-lit afternoon sky to light the den. He pat the ground next to him, telling Kate to take a seat.

"Kate, we need to talk," he said.

"About what?" she said, fearing his answer. She hadn't said a word to him since she told him to lift his rear the previous night, because from that point on it was all do and no say.

"About many things," replied Humphrey. "We're mates, Kate. We should tell each other everything. Isn't that our responsibilities to each other?"

Kate nodded, agreeing with him.

"Well, I haven't told you about any of this," Humphrey continued, "because I always feared how you would react. I worried you would feel so guilty about me leaving because of you, which I've also come to realize probably shouldn't have happened either given the potential circumstances at the time."

Kate was surprised to hear him speak so sophisticatedly. Being leader of such a group caused that wisdom, she reckoned.

"But…" Humphrey continued, "I realize now how worse that made everything. Had you known, this wouldn't have been as big of a surprise, and you wouldn't have been as worried. Heck, we might have even had a plan already, because your father probably would've known as well."

Kate was speechless. She couldn't say anything because she knew too well that he was right. Although she always knew him to be smart (most of the time), she had never really heard him say anything like this.

"In other words, I've let fear keep the truth of all his within me, and it's done more harm than good, but I'm willing to throw everything on the line now in order to prevent any more damage," said Humphrey. "I will tell you everything I've done as a Peacemaker, but on one condition…"

"What's that?" Kate asked.

Humphrey looked at her directly in the eyes. "You tell me where the _dominance_ idea came from."


	7. Tears & Planning Meeting

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter. In my update I posted right after posting the first six chapters, I said I probably wouldn't go chapter-by-chapter, but I think I still may sometimes. It's been a little busy. But anyway, here's chapter seven for you. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

CHAPTER 7-Tears & Planning Meeting

"We cannot let him, William, cause havoc in our pack. He has overthrown our position, taken our home, and threatened us. This cannot continue. We need a battle plan."

Winston spoke to the crowd. He and Tony were announcing what to do next, though they were unsure. Granted, they felt a huge relief and confidence boost since they were all in a secure place that no one outside who didn't know about it could be able to find. Everyone in the pack was riled, ready to do something, for they wanted their pack back. Candu was jumping with anxiety.

"Now, although I have not seen this William," said Winston, "I can tell he's very dangerous because he's killed Don. Now, I only knew Don for a day, but it was enough for me to see he was a caring adult omega with a heart of love and compassion, while also being strong enough to evade death from certain wolves in order to expand his time for spreading his kindness. But, he is now passed, and his killer is out there still, threatening everyone here…us and the Peacemakers."

Tonya was half-listening. She was felling very weird. It was an odd feeling…she couldn't get Reagan out of her mind. The scar on his leg stirred up sympathy for him…but not just that. She felt a strange desire to hug him…she felt drawn to him. She had never felt that way towards anyone before.

"Psst! Tonya…you okay?"

"What? Yeah…yeah, I'm fine," she answered Diana's concerned whisper.

"What's wrong?" Diana asked. "Ever since Reagan told you how he got his scar you've been acting really weird."

"I'm sure it's nothing," said Tonya, excusing it off as simple sympathy. "It's fine."

Diana shrugged.

"So, here's what we will do," Winston continued. "For tonight, we will hang around. Tomorrow, our alphas will still go out for the hunt. Our omegas will stay here and aid the Peacemakers in any way possible, seeing as it's our duty to them for their hospitality."

Everyone nodded.

"Good," said Winston. "Well, until then, you are free to roam anywhere you like as Reagan has instructed, but please do not interrupt anyone if they have business going on."

* * *

Humphrey and Kate sat next to each other, staring awkwardly in different directions and quickly looking away nervously when they looked at each other.

"Okay, that's enough of this," Humphrey said. "I say we actually communicate why our problems occurred now that we know."

They had shared with each other everything. Humphrey did not go into details about a lot of his traveling assignments, but he gave her enough to give her the picture. Kate had told him how her friends had persuaded her into tying him with rope and being in charge of him, and how she was nervous the whole way.

"Humphrey?"

"Yes, Kate?"

"Why can't things just go back to the way they were before?" Kate asked miserably. "I don't mean when I didn't know about the Peacemakers, but before my friends told me to do these things and before this William problem came up. Why can't we be happy together again?"

She started crying. Humphrey sighed and held her. He completely understood her pain, but without the Peacemakers or Jasper's pack, William would take control over everywhere he could, which would mean more unnecessary deaths, and Humphrey was not going to let that happen.

"It's okay," Humphrey said to her. "It's alright."

"I don't want to lose you," she said. "When I woke up from being trampled by the caribou and I saw your face, I knew you loved me. When I woke up this morning and you were gone, I felt the same way. All I knew was that someone had knocked me out and you were helpless to defend yourself…because of me." She began sobbing harder.

"It's okay," said Humphrey. "I'm here now. I'm safe now, see? Yes, I was being taken, but Reagan saved me and the wolf responsible is currently in custody."

"Really?" she asked, looking at him.

"Of course," said Humphrey.

He glanced at the sky though his sun-hole and saw the dusky glow.

"Ooh," he said. "I've got that meeting with the squad leaders tonight. Would you like to come and sit by me?"

Kate nodded with no hesitance. She wasn't leaving his side again if possible.

* * *

Reagan walked through the narrow cave passageways. He was on his way to see where Humphrey was. After all, it was nearly dusk. Suddenly, he accidentally ran into someone.

"Ouch!"

"I'm sorry!" said Reagan quickly. "I wasn't paying attention."

The wolf in the middle, whom he had run into, looked at him and gasped. Reagan became curious as to why she was staring at him like that.

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

"Oh, nothing," she said, blinking and looking away.

"What's your name?"

"Tonya," she replied. "I'm a friend of Kate's."

"Oh, really?" said Reagan. "That's nice."

"Yeah," she responded nervously. Reagan wondered why she felt uncomfortable around him. Although, he did notice that she was pretty, but then again…so was Suzie.

"Okay, well then, Tonya, I think I'll see you around," Reagan said.

"Yeah I'll…see you," Tonya said, as she and her friends walked off.

Reagan stared after her, watching her go. As he turned away, he heard one of her friends say to her, "You like him, don't you?"

* * *

Humphrey and Kate walked back into the main cavern. Robert was gathering the squad leaders from the dens while Sam and Bill were returning from their patrols outside. Slowly, a small portion of Peacemakers were walking into the cavern. Humphrey sat staring at them all and smiling. No matter who you were, it was always reassuring to know there were others by your side, willing to stand with you no matter what happened. He glanced over at his mate, who looked back at him and managed a weak smile, but he knew that she couldn't due to the guilt she still felt.

Humphrey turned back as the last of the leaders came in.

"Okay, are we all here?" he said.

There were murmurs of confirmation.

"Good," said Humphrey as Reagan walked up to stand next to him. Humphrey noticed he had a very worried look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Humphrey whispered.

Reagan looked at him and mouthed _Tonya_.

"What about her?" Humphrey whispered.

"I'll tell you later," Reagan whispered back, turning to face the crowd again.

"Okay," said Humphrey. "All right, now listen…William is not to be messed around with. We were almost killed when we confronted him the first time, and now Don's dead because of him."

A small grunt of grief came from Robert.

"The good news," continued Humphrey, "is that we know where William is…at Jasper Park. As long as he stays there, which I'm sure he will, he will be less of a threat. The last thing we need is him disappearing on us."

Kate was growing more worried. She couldn't shake the fear of losing Humphrey out of her head. Her words from earlier came back to mind.

"_I never even mated with Humphrey yet and I want the first time to be special._"

Kate sighed sadly at the thought of never mating with Humphrey. She wanted to mate with him at some point, and no "advice" from her friends would ever take that away.

"…so we'll need to spend much time with Winston, so we can organize together," Humphrey was saying as Kate returned her focus to him.

At that moment, Winston and Eve walked in. Winston had heard his voice and looked at Humphrey, who looked back at him. Winston smiled. It had been three months since Humphrey and Kate had become mates, and until the dominance issue, nothing had interfered with them loving each other fully. In that time, Eve was beginning to trust Humphrey more and more, while Winston knew from the start that he would be a good mate and future leader. All Humphrey was doing now was proving that.

Humphrey looked back to the crowd. "We also," he said, "know what William's plans will probably be, considering Sam was one of his wolves until six months ago."

Kate nodded. She felt Sam looked too much like one of William's wolves for it to be a coincidence.

"Okay, now…" said Humphrey, "we need to be sure that we don't have any more unnecessary deaths. Please be sure that if you leave the cave to stay close and keep alert for any of William's wolves. They don't know where we are, but we don't want to give away this position, or else nobody will be safe. I only want the alphas to be traveling where they need to for hunts, and everyone else, please keep everyone down here in line. Understood?"

Everyone nodded with a mixture of yes's.

"Good," said Humphrey. "Squad leaders, we, unfortunately, can't be traveling at the moment, so we will have to remain on the clock. Make sure your squads are always prepared for anything. Have meetings and organize."

They nodded again.

"Okay, then," said Humphrey. He kept thinking about what Don would say, and having their own meetings and gatherings was always something he recommended. "Well, that's all for now. Thank you."

They all dispersed.

"You're Kate, then?" Reagan asked.

"Yes," said Kate. She knew Humphrey had told him about the dominance.

Reagan nodded.

"So, what about Tonya?" Humphrey asked.

"Oh, yeah. I ran into her and her friends on the way here, and…I think she _likes_ me."

Both Humphrey's and Kate's eyes widened.

"No way," said Humphrey. "Really?"

"Yeah," said Reagan.

"Are you sure?" Kate asked.

"Uh-huh," said Reagan. "I'm pretty sure. I heard one of her friends say to her 'You like him, don't you?' right after she got all nervous when talking to me."

Humphrey chuckled. "You've got an admirer."

"No I don't," said Reagan firmly. "Not yet. I don't want to judge, but she is an alpha like Suzie. I feel I should get to know her better. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what will happen."

"Okay, brother," said Humphrey, smiling.

Kate began thinking. Was Tonya in love with Reagan? She and her friends spoke all the time about what kind of mates they wanted. Kate found all of that uninteresting, because she loved Humphrey and wanted no one else. It was a shame that the most interesting thing of the conversation a week before was concerning the dominance on Humphrey.

Reagan nodded.

"Humphrey?"

It was Winston.

"Yes, sir?" said Humphrey.

"Forgive me, I never got around to congratulating you properly," he said, smiling.

"It's alright, sir," said Humphrey.

"You really are taking care of things," said Winston, looking around. "I'm impressed. From what Don told me about a year ago, this is a big job. Are you nervous?"

"A little," said Humphrey, "but last night when Don died, I knew that I had to do it…just like he wanted me to."

"Well, you're doing fine so far," said Winston.

"Thank you, sir," said Humphrey.

"Anyway, I heard you say that we should combine to fight against William, and frankly I couldn't agree more. How about a combined meeting, tomorrow night?"

"Sounds great," said Humphrey.

"Just out of curiosity, how many wolves do you have?" Winston asked.

"About fifty or so," said Humphrey.

"We have about fifty, too," said Winston. "That makes…a hundred."

Winston nodded in confirmation. "We might stand a chance now, with all of us working together to defeat William."

"We do, indeed," said Humphrey.

"Well, I'm done for the night," said Winston. "What do you guys normally do late at night?"

"Omega stuff," said Humphrey honestly. "Really, that's it. Normally, some wolves go outside to logsled or even howl with their mates, but right now that's not too good of any idea."

"Well, I wouldn't want to keep you from that," said Winston. "Good night, Humphrey."

"You too, sir," said Humphrey.

Winston chuckled and began walking away. Eve smiled and followed.

"Wow," said Reagan, impressed. "He is such a caring wolf. No wonder Jasper's one of the best-behaved packs around."

"Really?" said Kate.

"Yeah," said Humphrey. "You'd be surprised how much war there is in other packs."

Kate looked astonished.

"Anyway, Kate," said Humphrey, "would you like to join us in a game of hot berry?"

"What's that?" Kate asked.

"It's one of the names for a game we play where we must pass a berry to each other without it touching the ground, but we can't hold it either. Did you want to play?"

At first, Kate was going to say no, because it was an omega thing, but then she remembered how fun logsledding was, so she agreed. Humphrey turned to Reagan.

"I'll go grab Salty, Shakey, and Mooch. You get Chris and Dwain. Let's play."

* * *

After about forty-five minutes and several games of hot-berry later, everyone was exhausted. Humphrey brought Kate back to his den. When they both laid down, Humphrey glanced nervously over at Kate, his paranoia telling him to make sure she went to sleep and that there was no rope around. Kate looked over at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," said Humphrey quickly.

But Kate remembered that the last time they slept together was when she began to bind him with a rope.

"Humphrey, I won't tie you up," said Kate quickly. "Not after I almost lost you last night." She quickly hugged him.

Humphrey smiled. He knew it was just paranoia.

"Well, don't you worry about it. Let's just put it behind us now, okay?"

She smiled. "Okay."

They both laid down and closed their eyes.

"Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Always remember this," Humphrey told her before they drifted off to sleep. "This is what Don always told me. No matter how bad things get, there's always a way. Remember that. Pain is strong, but love is stronger."


	8. A Day With the Peacemakers

CHAPTER 8-A Day With the Peacemakers

When morning came, Kate got up early to see what her father had planned for the day. She nudged Humphrey and he opened his eyes.

"Morning," he said to her.

"Morning," she said. "I'm gonna go see what my dad wants."

"Okay," said Humphrey, getting up as well. "I'll see you in a bit, then."

"Okay," she said, walking out.

A few moments after she left, Robert walked in.

"Humphrey, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, Rob. What do you need?"

He sat down and looked at Humphrey.

"Chelsea _really_ wants to have puppies," he said.

"That's good," said Humphrey. "That _is_ good, right?" he added, wondering why Robert seemed so worried.

"Yes!" said Robert. "Absolutely. I want to have puppies, but…"

He trailed off for a moment.

"I'm a little concerned about…things."

"What kind of things?" Humphrey asked.

"Well," explained Robert. "Look at me. I'm tall, strong, and assertive. If I have puppies, especially if they're boys, they'll turn out like me."

"And?"

"They wouldn't have learned to let go yet," said Robert. "I'm thinking ahead to the teen years. I'm hoping they don't make the same mistakes I did."

"They won't," Humphrey assured him. "Teach them from the start what you've learned in the past nine months. Make sure they know what's right. I'm sure with you and Chelsea doing that, there should be no problems."

"Yeah," said Robert, sighing. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Besides," said Humphrey, echoing once more something Don once told him, "I believe in you."

Robert looked at him and smiled. "Thanks, brother. You know, you _are_ right. I guess I'm still allowing myself to be eaten by my past a little bit."

"Life is a learning process," echoed Humphrey from Don. "Making mistakes is a part of life, but learning from them is what matters."

"Alright," said Robert. "Well, I'd better go get everyone into the main cavern for warm-ups."

"Yeah, you do that. I'll be right there," said Humphrey as Robert left.

Humphrey walked out of the den. About halfway to the main cavern, he ran into Kate.

"Humphrey, my dad's having us go out for caribou."

"Okay, just be careful, alright?"

"I will," said Kate, giving him a lick on the cheek. "I promise."

Humphrey smiled as she walked down the passage. Humphrey followed her, and patiently watched as she joined the group of other alphas, and then they left.

Robert had all of the Peacemakers gathered where they were loosening up as usual. They always stretched before starting the day because it helped the body and mind concentrate better. Although most of them weren't alphas and didn't get nearly as much exercise as an alpha, they still needed energy for traveling, because they traveled a lot. Humphrey walked up to Robert.

"Hello, Humphrey," said Robert. "Care to join?"

"Sure," said Humphrey.

Humphrey sat down in front next to Chelsea. He looked up and noticed Robert watching her stretch and growling in delight a little bit.

After a while, Robert announced they were finished and beckoned Humphrey back up to the front.

"Good morning, Peacemakers," he said. "How are we this morning?"

There were grumbles of "good" and "okay".

"Good," said Humphrey. "Well, we won't be going anywhere until William is defeated so please don't get into any trouble and stay safe with whatever you do. We're having a combined meeting with Jasper's pack tonight, too. Be here at sundown. You're dismissed."

They all agreed and dispersed. Chelsea walked up and gave Robert a nose-rub.

Humphrey watched as they shared their love. Finally, Robert remembered Humphrey was still there.

"Oh, sorry, Humphrey," he said.

"No prob," said Humphrey. "Really. I'm happy for you."

"Chelsea, can you give us a minute?" Robert said. She smiled and nodded, walking off.

"Humphrey, Jack's not giving us anything," said Robert sternly.

The two of them walked through the opening that led to the holding den. Inside, Jack looked up and laughed.

"Well, look who's free from the ropes," he taunted.

Humphrey's eyes narrowed. "What's William up to?"

"Like I'd tell you that," said Jack in a sarcastic voice.

"Fine," Robert cut in. "We'll just have Sam tell us, then."

Jack's smile disappeared and he let out a loud growl.

"That traitor! He left us! Why he joined you, I have no clue…and I never will! His name is nothing but filth to us, now."

"_He _betrayed _you_?" Humphrey said. "William was the one who ordered you all to abandon Sam. Who was the real traitor in the situation?"

Jack growled and sprung up to his feet. "Don't you dare talk about William like that!"

"Why are you defending him?" Humphrey asked. "Do you enjoy seeing puppies and innocent wolves slaughtered?"

"Yes, I do," said Jack, with an evil laugh. "You'll never win, you know. William will win this time, which means I'll be free to kill anybody I want to, even that pathetic omega…" he paused and smirked, "…_Chelsea_."

Robert let out a loud snarl. "You won't be touching her! You hear me?! You won't touch her as long as I'm still breathing!"

Jack laughed.

Robert calmed down and sighed. "He's not cracking. He's seriously that evil."

"Well, we'll just have to go off of what we have," said Humphrey. "Can you talk to Sam during your hunt today?"

"Mmm-hmm," said Robert. "You bet I will," he added sourly, glancing back at Jack before leaving.

"_You bet I will_," Jack mocked. "He's no better than an omega in a place like this."

Humphrey glared at him. "Why are you so wicked?"

"I like to be wicked," said Jack simply. "It's fun."

"Fun," Humphrey repeated. "Do you rape girls?"

"Yes," said Jack. "I enjoy hearing them plead for mercy."

"Have you no regret?" Humphrey said, temper starting to rise. He couldn't remember a time when he felt more angry. "Have you no remorse? What if a girl stronger than you enjoyed raping guys and then murdering them?"

"Like that'll happen," said Jack. "Don't pull that on me. It…won't…work." He put his head down.

Humphrey sighed deeply and left. _Who does he think he is?_ Humphrey thought. _He's not going to be hurting anybody today…or tomorrow._

Wandering around, Humphrey found himself walking in no apparent direction. It was about midday now. Humphrey decided to try and find his friends. He went to the cavern where his pack brothers and sisters from Jasper were staying. His friends weren't there, but a few were, including Lilly. For the sake of killing time and being a good brother-in-law, Humphrey walked over to her.

"Hi, Lilly."

Lilly looked up. "Oh, hey Humphrey."

"How's it going?"

"Fine. Just waiting for Garth to get back."

"Have you been waiting here the whole time?"

"Pretty much."

"Ah…cool."

"So, you're a Peacemaker, then?" she asked him.

"Yes," said Humphrey. "That's what I pulled Kate out of your meeting yesterday for. I couldn't wait. I knew I had to tell her. I never did because I was afraid she would feel bad because I left to settle down with her, but I knew yesterday that it had to be done. We're mates…we should tell each other everything."

"Oh," said Lilly. "So, what's William like?"

Humphrey hesitated. He wanted to be accurate without frightening her.

"Well, he's very large," said Humphrey. "He's got black fur, and he's aggressive. You don't want to be near him. Trust me."

Lilly shivered. "He scares me."

"I know, " said Humphrey.

He scratched at the rope burn on his muzzle, which had begun to itch slightly.

"What's that?" Lilly asked.

"What's what?"

"That?"

Humphrey realized what she meant.

"Just…a little issue a few nights ago."

"What happened?"

"It's kind of personal," said Humphrey. "I'm sorry, Lilly. You don't really want to know, but if you really do…ask your sister. If she won't tell you, just drop it, okay?"

"Okay," said Lilly.

"Well, I'll be going now," said Humphrey, walking away. "Take care, Lilly."

"You too, Humphrey."

Humphrey walked back into the main cavern and sat at the front. He began to think of all the wolves who would be gazing up at him that night. He imagined he would be sitting next to Winston and Tony, with, roughly, about ninety-seven pairs of eyes watching him. His insides seemed to bubble with anxiety again, but he shook it. He needed to stay strong. He imagined someone asking him something. He might as well practice.

"_Humphrey_!" the wolf said in his mind. "_Humphrey, what will we do next? What's William's next move?_"

"_Humphrey, over here_!"

"_Humphrey!_"

"Humphrey!"

Humphrey blinked. That voice came from his right side. He looked over at Reagan.

"Oh, hey Reagan."

"What are you doing?"

"In all honesty, I'm practicing not losing my head tonight."

"What does that mean?" said Reagan, chuckling.

"Just…imagining myself keeping my cool tonight without getting to nervous," answered Humphrey.

"Ah," said Reagan.

"Are you alright?" said Humphrey. "You're not looking too well."

Reagan had bags under his eyes, which were bloodshot and gave a lazy look. He hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night.

"Yeah, just thinking about Tonya," said Reagan. "She's very pretty."

"Don't get your hopes up too high," warned Humphrey. "According to Kate, she was one of the ones who tempted Kate into dominating me."

Reagan's face sunk. "She—no."

"Yes," said Humphrey. "I'm afraid so."

Reagan couldn't believe it. He thought he was falling in love, but now it turns out she was just another Suzie. He closed his eyes and began weeping.

"It's alright, brother," said Humphrey, patting his shoulder.

"Will I spend the rest of my days alone?" Reagan choked. "Suzie raped me about a year ago, yet I still remember it like it were yesterday, as I always will. I just know I'm going to die alone."

"Reagan, you can't give up," said Humphrey. "I know that the perfect mate will come in time, no matter who it is."

Reagan pulled himself together. "Okay. I guess you're right."

"Just give it time," said Humphrey. "Some wolves don't find mates until they're older than we are now."

Reagan nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Humphrey glanced over and saw the alphas from Jasper returning. Kate walked over and gave him a nose rub. Humphrey heard a sigh from Reagan.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," said Reagan. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry."

Kate looked at him and noticed his red eyes. "Reagan, are you okay?"

"Yes," said Reagan again. "Yeah, I'm okay for now. It's nothing…don't worry about it."

Kate looked back at Humphrey. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Really?" Kate said. "I thought you were used to me gone on hunts?"

"I am," said Humphrey. "That doesn't stop me from missing you. Besides, don't you usually miss me while you're on hunts?"

"Of course I do," said Kate, "but not as much as now."

Humphrey knew Kate wouldn't stop trying to be near him as much as possible at least until the problem with William was settled.

Kate leaned forward and began licking his face. He began licking hers too. They continued until they heard Winston clear his throat.

"Humphrey, can we talk?"

"Sure."

The two of them walked through the opening that led outside. They walked a few feet from the cave and sat staring at the sun.

"Since we're co-leaders now," explained Winston, "I felt we needed to talk about a few things."

"Like what, sir?" said Humphrey.

"A few things," he said. "First, Kate spoke with me yesterday morning about what happened."

"You mean, with the dominance?"

"Yes," said Winston. "I'm surprised and disappointed. That doesn't seem like her. Then again, it was her friends who told her to. Why would she listen to them, though? I know for a fact she still loves you, because she kept looking a little sad that she wasn't near you during the hunt."

"Guilt," said Humphrey. "She's just feeling bad. But don't worry…I've got a plan."

"What?"

"You'll see," said Humphrey. "Hopefully it'll work."

"I hope you're right," said Winston. "Secondly, would you mind filling me in on what happened the night Don died."

Humphrey gave a brief description of everything from Jack's intrusion to sending Reagan out to fetch them at Jasper.

"That's sad," said Winston, sighing. "I liked Don. That's a real shame. It sounds like you were really close, if you've known him for that long. Is that what you did while Kate was at alpha school?"

"Yes," said Humphrey. "It was just to kill time at first, but then I got more into it."

"Good," said Winston. "Now, finally, what should I know right now about William to take to our meeting tonight?"

"He has similar structure to his wolves, only larger, more muscular, and a horrible anger issue. He kills for pleasure and even rapes girls of all ages. Omegas don't matter to him at all, and neither do alphas is they get in his way. If you want more, you could ask Sam."

"Who's Sam?" Winston asked.

"One of our three alphas," said Humphrey.

"Oh, really? _Three_ alphas?"

"Yes," said Humphrey. "Robert, Sam, and Bill. They've got their unique stories, but I'll tell you those later. Oh, here they come now."

The three alphas emerged with a large caribou on each of their backs.

"Are you the leader of Jasper?" Robert asked Winston.

"Indeed I am," said Winston, smiling. "And who might you be?"

"Robert, and this is Sam and Bill," said Robert.

"Nice to meet you three," said Winston. "Have you been Peacemakers long?"

"Sort of," said Sam. "Rob's been here the longest…nine months. I've been here six months, and Bill's been here about five."

Winston examined his facial features. "You look a lot like Zeke."

"Zeke? Yeah, I used to be one of William's wolves," said Sam, "until I was trapped beneath some rock and he was too lazy to try to rescue me. Although I tried to deny it at first, I knew deep down he wasn't a good leader at all. And…well, Don was there to convince me."

Winston smiled.

"Well, we should be getting these inside," said Robert. "It's getting close to late afternoon."

"Yes," said Winston. "That's a good idea. I'll see you tonight, Humphrey."

"You too, sir," said Humphrey. Robert and the others walked by. Sam nodded at Humphrey as he passed. After a few moments, Humphrey got up and followed them back inside.

* * *

Dusk came and everyone gathered after dinner in the main cavern. On the one side of the front part of the cavern, Winston and Tony sat. On the other, Humphrey sat with Reagan and Robert behind him.

"We are here tonight," Winston announced, "to combine our numbers. We each have about fifty wolves, so together we stand a chance against William and his vicious army of wolves."

There was murmur of excitement and a little of concern. Some were hesitant on a war, but most wanted to stop William.

"Apparently," Winston continued, "we also have an alpha in the Peacemakers who was, at one time, one of William's wolves until he was betrayed. He is now a Peacemaker."

More excitement.

Winston glanced at Tony, who simply nodded. Winston looked over at Humphrey, who closed his eyes and breathed one final time before opening them.

"William is tough," he said. "He will not go down easy. He's too strong, even stronger than Robert."

Humphrey motioned to Robert standing behind him. To some of the Jasper wolves, this was the first time they saw Robert. Many were shocked at how big he was, and how strong he was, and above all, that he was a Peacemaker. In the clear moonlight that shone through a small sky-hole in the roof of the cavern, Kate also noticed for the first time he had a long scar running from the base of his right eye down to his mid-lower cheek. The scar seemed to glisten in the moonlight.

"Where did you get that scar?" Tony couldn't help but ask loudly.

Robert turned to look at him. "I got it the night I quit my old lifestyle and joined the Peacemakers."

"Why, what was your old lifestyle?" Tony asked.

Robert could feel the many heads of the anxious wolves waiting to hear the answer.

"Let's just say," Robert said, "I wasn't the _friendliest_ one to be around."

"What he means to say," Humphrey cut in quickly, "is that he was no different than William before he let go."

"Let go?" Tony said. "Of what?"

"Of his past," Humphrey said.

"His lifestyle," Reagan said, "involved rape and murder."

"Our top priority is to help as many realize this as possible," said Humphrey. "We call it _letting go_ for short because we usually say it over and over again like 'Just let go…let go' when we're trying to get someone to do it."

"Just letting go of the selfish and unsatisfying desires such as rape," explained Reagan, "because all rapes don't satisfy…they just leave you wanting more, but the more you try, the more empty you feel, right Rob?"

Robert nodded.

Kate was jumping with anticipation. This was exactly how she felt the night she dominated Humphrey. The whole time, he had a look of horror and fear on his face, which made her start to feel bad, but she tried harder to dominate, but it didn't work out at all. After she was knocked out and woke up the next morning to find a bump on her head and a drag-trail leading outside, she almost lost it. She wanted to hear more.

Winston nodded. That made sense.

"What happened?" Hutch shouted from the crowd.

Robert and Humphrey looked at each other. They hadn't shared the full story with anybody since they told it to Don after it had happened with Reagan listening.

"We haven't told anybody except for Don and Reagan," said Humphrey. "It's been so long."

Reagan nudged him. "Tell them, Humphrey. Now's the time because of…you know…"

Humphrey knew he was referring to Kate.

Humphrey sighed. "It was nine months ago, shortly after I first joined the Peacemakers."

He looked at Robert, and then, together, they began to tell the full story from both experiences.

* * *

**A/N:** Up next: Robert's story in full. I hope you enjoy it. Until then, ciao!


	9. Robert's Story

CHAPTER 9-Robert's Story

_**Nine Months Earlier…**_

_Humphrey awoke once more to the sound of walking. He was staying in the larger common dens where up to ten wolves would sleep in their own personal spots. Humphrey got up and walked into the main cavern, anxious to do something. He was missing Kate already…he needed to do something._

_He walked over to the front where Don usually stood. A few wolves were watching him, making faces that indicated their curiosity. They all felt Humphrey was a slightly strange, but they weren't judging. Humphrey was curious as to what this "letting go" everyone spoke of was. Don mentioned it numerous times, and Reagan had spoken of it a few times. Humphrey felt bad for Reagan after hearing what happened a few months before with his girlfriend. Humphrey hoped he wouldn't ever have a mate who would do anything like that._

_"Humphrey."_

_Humphrey turned at the sound of his leader's voice._

_"Don, sir. Good morning," Humphrey said politely, anxious. He had been waiting for an entire week since he joined to do something, but Don kept searching for something adequate for him since he was still a newbie._

_"Someone's a little jumpy today," said Don with a chuckle._

_"I'm sorry," said Humphrey. "I just…I want to do something. I'm…well, I'm…"_

_"Bored?" Don asked. "Reagan's told me you've had your eye on that first-born daughter of Winston's. She's an alpha, though, and your pack has that law where alphas and omegas can't mate. It's a shame, really. Winston's a good guy, but I, personally, don't see why alphas and omegas can't be together. But, it is his and Tony's pack. They make the rules."_

_"Yeah," sighed Humphrey miserably. "I just wish that I could get the chance to tell her how I feel about her. Some place where we're alone, and just tell her. But that's probably not going to happen now. Winston says I won't even see her much when she gets back."_

_"Don't ever give up hope, Humphrey," said Don. "Giving up solves nothing. You never know when things will suddenly turn on you and then everything you never thought would happen suddenly sits before your eyes. It's amazing, really."_

_Humphrey nodded to show he heard, but didn't really understand what Don meant. He wouldn't understand until half a year later when he would see his future mate sleeping peacefully on a train about to pass by Jasper._

_"Anyway," Don continued, "I think I might have something for you to do today."_  
_"Really?" said Humphrey with excitement. "Like what?"_

_"Well, there's a wolf living by himself in a den a little walk from here. His name's Robert, and he's a real vicious one. He likes to rape girls and murder innocent wolves. He does it all the time, three rapes and murders each a month at very least."_  
_"Wow," said Humphrey. "So…?"_

_"My squad and I will be going down there to talk to him and see if we can't reason with him, but I want you to take a peek inside first and see if he's still there. Then, come back and report. If he's there, we'll go. Think you can do that?"_

_"Sure!" said Humphrey._

_"I'll send Reagan with you," Don continued. "I don't want you going alone."_

_"Okay," said Humphrey, eager to go, but Don told him he had to wait until evening, because that's when Robert was usually at his den all the time._

* * *

_Robert opened his eyes and groaned._

Another day of a wasted life, _he thought. He was surrounded by bodies. The one nearest to him was a girl whom he had aggressively raped the night before. He smiled as he remembered her screaming, crying, begging for mercy, but he had just laughed. He loved being in charge, the boss, the dominant one. He absolutely loved it._

_Although, what did serve as a drastic downside was when it was over. His thrill was while it was actually happening, but the fun always ended with the life. Raping a dead girl never satisfied, and bragging was not an option either. He just wished he could find something more satisfying that his current life. He felt life was passing him by._

_As he walked he noticed Rachel, a mid-aged female alpha who was an ex-pack healer from a pack somewhere until she decided the move out to the forest for fresh air. Though she still made visits, she enjoyed spending time simply taking in the air and helping injured animals. Robert smiled and walked up to her. She saw him and groaned._

_"Hey, Rachel," said Robert in a sexy tone._

_"Hello, Robert. What do you want now?" she asked in an annoyed voice._

_"Do you wanna…you know…come over to my place tonight and…" Robert smirked_ _"…get_ busy_?"_

_"No," she said stately and began walking away._

_Robert slammed the ground. He had failed again. She knew he was a murderer and a rapist. Most girls would run from him on the spot, while others simply declined his continual requests. Then again, others were simply dragged into his den late at night._

_"Come on!" he shouted after her. "You've gotta do something sometime! You never do anything!"_  
_She turned and looked at him. "I'm sorry, Robert, but I would rather die than do anything with you. Come find me if you get injured." She began walking again. "Like that'll ever happen," she added under her breath._

_Robert growled and headed back to his den. There weren't that many younger wolves left, so he actually had to resort to middle-aged female wolves. Rachel wasn't the prettiest, but she definitely would wind up being a target to make another attempt at satisfying himself. He entered his den and plumped his head down in anger._

* * *

_Reagan led Humphrey through the woods during evening. Reagan kept looking at Humphrey. Humphrey glanced back at him._

_"What?"_

_"Well…" said Reagan. "Don's mentioned this a few times, and I must say I agree. What exactly _are _your motives for being a Peacemaker?"_

_"Well, I guess helping people's a good thing, right?" Humphrey said, not sure how to answer. That's really all he felt._

_Reagan sighed. He knew that Humphrey was here only to kill time. Reagan knew that Humphrey would not last that long in the Peacemakers unless he let go, because it is when one lets go do they tend to develop a passion for Peacemaker work. Granted, many who let go don't join the Peacemakers but stay at their homes to spread their compassion there, but there's always that group that wishes to make peace-making a living. Reagan, for one, with nowhere else to go, made that choice._

_As the two of them reached Robert's den, they began moving slower. Reagan took the lead, making sure they didn't make any bad steps to alert Robert of their presence. The minute Robert would become angry, nothing would hold him back from murder. Reagan peeked inside._

_"Okay, he's in there…good," he said._

_"I wanna see him," said Humphrey, looking in at the large alpha lying on the ground with his eyes closed. "Wow…he's big, kind of like a moose."_

_Reagan smirked. He never really thought about that. He had never seen Robert before, only heard._

_"Well, he's here," said Reagan. "Now let's get back so we can tell Don."_

_Humphrey began following Reagan back, but soon began thinking._

This could be my chance, _he thought._ I could try to get through to Robert and maybe then I'll impress Don enough to where he can give me a higher position. Yes…I'll give it a try.

_"Uh, Reagan?" Humphrey said. "You go on ahead. I, uh, need some water."_

_Reagan nodded and kept walking. Humphrey turned around and walked back down the path to Robert's den. He slowly walked inside, careful not to wake up the sleeping alpha. Unfortunately, a twig on the ground ended that plan quickly._

_Robert's eyes shot open and he looked up at the small omega standing before him._

_"Who are you supposed to be?!" he shot angrily._

_Humphrey was somewhat alarmed at his tone, but said calmly yet nervously, "My name's Humphrey."_

_"Does that mean anything to me?" Robert said. "Why are you here?"_

_"Well, Robert," said Humphrey. "Can I call you Rob?"_

_"NO!" Robert shouted. "What do you want?"_

_"I'm…a Peacemaker," Humphrey said simply._

_"What's a Peacemaker?" Robert asked._

_"We're a group of omegas that go around spreading peace or something like that," Humphrey. "We, like, teach people this thing called letting go."_

_Robert shook his head. This omega was wasting his time. "You should do yourself a favor and get out of here before I get mad and kill you."_

_Humphrey seemed a little surprised. The only thing that kept him there was his determination to impress Don. "I'm not leaving."_

_"Listen to my words," said Robert very clearly, getting up and moving menacingly over to where Humphrey stood. "Get…lost…now."_

_Humphrey continued standing there. Robert angrily swiped at him, but he managed to dodge it just in time, but he was still sent to the ground. Robert threw a punch but missed as Humphrey rolled sideways._

_"You stupid piece of filth!" Robert shouted. "You low-life. What are you good for?"_

_He brought his paw down hard onto Humphrey's chest. Humphrey began coughing violently, not remembering a time he felt so much pain. Robert leaned close to whisper menacingly._

_"Yeah, now you're gonna get it, you stupid omega!" he said, bringing his other paw up to swipe across Humphrey's throat._

_Out of panic and desperation, Humphrey raised his own paw and slashed Robert hard in the face. Robert screamed in agony and held his paw to his face, letting Humphrey up. He watched in terror as Robert stumbled backwards and removed his paw from his face, revealing a deep cut down his cheek from below the eye. Humphrey got up and ran out of the den as Robert began chasing him._

_"Wouldn't leave me alone," Robert muttered angrily to himself as he chased Humphrey. "Gave me this stupid cut, he's dead."_

_Humphrey wasn't paying attention to where he was running, he was just running. He ended up at a pile of rocks when Robert began to catch up._

_"Come here!" he yelled. He jumped forward to grab Humphrey, who, at the same time, panicked from Robert's voice being closer and tripped, falling to the ground. Robert jumped right over Humphrey and straight into the pile of rocks, causing one at the top to become loose and fall straight onto Robert's chest. Robert groaned loudly, feeling pain like he had never felt before. Humphrey, out of panic, turned and began running down the path to the Peacemaker's cave. He thought Robert was still chasing him, but he eventually turned out and saw no one there. Humphrey thought about returning to the Peacemaker's cave, but then a thought ran through his mind._

Wait, if I go back, they'll want to know what happened, and then they'll see what I did. Then I'll never get a higher position.

_Humphrey stopped, thinking. He knew that they were looking for him, but he wasn't sure about going back. He didn't want his chances of a higher position from Don to be ruined._

_Nightfall came. The sun was down, and it was dark._

_Suddenly, Humphrey smelled something coming from the direction of where Robert was…blood. Immediately, words that Don had spoken to the crowd during the past week rang through Humphrey's ears once more._

"Remember…if you smell blood, that's always a bad sign."

_Humphrey remembered the lecture now. Don had been talking about how war was always a last resort no matter what. Other than that, the spilling of someone else's blood indicated selfishness and pride. Humphrey remembered more chilling words._

"Watch out for pride…it's dangerous."

_The smell of blood was growing. With Don's words still ringing in his head, Humphrey began running back in the direction where Robert was. What he saw scarred him._

_Robert was still lying there on the ground, coughing up blood every couple of seconds. He was lying in a pool of his own blood, being crushed by the weight of the rock that lay on his chest._

_Robert's mind was racing. He didn't want to die. He always acted so tough, but he secretly dreaded death. No matter how much temporary pleasure rape offered him, it left him lonely afterwards, and now this appeared to be the end. The rock was causing him so much pain, but he couldn't lift it off himself. He was hoping that someone would save him. He wanted to be freed from his pain, both physical and emotional. He looked up and saw Humphrey standing there._

_"What do you want?" he choked._

_Humphrey realized immediately what his obsession over a new position had gotten him into. If he had only gone back with Reagan, Robert wouldn't be dying. Humphrey looked closely at what he had caused, and broke down weeping._

_"I'm s-sorry, Robert," he said. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm sorry."_

_Robert's angry face immediately became a shocked face. Was Humphrey showing remorse for him? Even after what had happened?_

_Humphrey walked over to him and began pushing on the rock with his entire back. The rock was budging slightly. Robert, seeing Humphrey trying to help him, gave all his strength despite the pain. Humphrey, determined to fix what he had done, was pushing as hard as he possibly could and together they eventually managed to shove the rock off to the side._

_Robert was gasping for air with big breaths, relieved that the pain was gone. He looked over at Humphrey, who was also gasping but still had tears in his eyes._

_"I'm sorry," said Humphrey. "I never meant for you to get hurt."_

_Robert became more surprised at the sudden remorseful gesture despite his own previous attempts to murder Humphrey._

_Robert sighed deeply and said, "You know what? It's okay."_

_Humphrey looked up and smiled. "We need to get you looked at."_

_"Rachel," said Robert. "Get Rachel…she's an ex-pack healer. Her den is right up there."_

_Humphrey nodded and ran up the hill._

_"Rachel!" he called loudly. "Rachel!"_

_A middle-aged wolf emerged from behind a tree. "Yes? Can I help you?"_

_"Hey. What are you doing out here?"_

_"I came up here real quick for some herbs. I live down by the stream. Don't tell Robert that. I don't want him to know where I live."_

_"He's in trouble," Humphrey said._

_Rachel groaned. "What kind of trouble?"_

_"Serious trouble," said Humphrey. "He's hurt."_

_"Really?" she said, wondering if he was sent by Robert to get her to come over or something._

_"Yes, really!" said Humphrey. He quickly explained what happened. "I'm not joking!" he said in a panicked when he had finished._

_She took a sniff and smelled blood. "Okay, I'll be right back," she said, disappearing and reappearing about five minutes with herbs in her mouth. Humphrey led her to where Robert was._

_Robert looked up at her. "Rachel…"_

_"Don't move," she said. She began treating him. When she had finished, he looked up at her and said, "Rachel…thanks."_

_She nodded and turned to Humphrey. "You're a very brave young wolf. What's your name?"_

_"Humphrey."_

_"Well, it's nice to meet you Humphrey. If you ever need any herbs, you know where to find me."_

_"Thanks, Rachel," said Humphrey as she began walking away._

_Humphrey looked back at Robert with a smile on his face. "I'm glad you're alright."_

_Robert looked at him. "Yes. Thanks…for coming back for me. I didn't think you would after what I had done."_

_"Don't worry about it," said Humphrey. "The important thing is you're okay. Well, I'd better be getting back. They're probably looking for me."_

_"Yeah, okay," said Robert. He watched Humphrey walk off up the path. Robert felt strange. No one had ever helped him before, especially when he felt that much pain. He limped back to his den, and saw the body of the girl he had raped the night before. Immediately, her screams echoed in his head._

"Please! Stop! It hurts! You're hurting me! Ow! PLEASE LET ME GO!"

_Robert saw, in his mind, himself laughing at her and continuing to rape her to death. How easily Humphrey could've left him in the pain, but he had chosen to come back. Realization suddenly hit Robert with one phrase:_ You monster.

_Emotional pain began swelling up inside of him and before he knew it, he was on the ground releasing the pain in the form of tears. He hadn't cried in so long. He had been lonely for who knew how long, but he couldn't exactly remember when the last time he cried was, but he didn't care. As far as he was concerned, the world could've heard his sobs. He also couldn't remember a time when he felt more worthless. He had just been saved from a somewhat-similar fate and his savior was someone whom he had also tried to kill. Out of guilt and desperation, Robert got up and began running outside and up the path where Humphrey had gone. Unknown to him, Rachel had heard his sobs and had made her way back to see if he was alright. When she saw him running, she smiled and said, "I'm proud of you, Robert."_

_"Humphrey!" Robert called, running. "Humphrey!"_

_Humphrey heard his name and turned back to see Robert running towards him._

_"Hey, Robert. What's up?"_

_Robert's eyes were bloodshot. "I'm a monster," he said. "After you left, I realized that the girls I've raped have felt pain just like I just did from the rock, yet I killed every single one of those girls anyway."_

_Humphrey nodded, listening._

_"Humphrey…why did you come back for me?" Robert asked._

_"Because," Humphrey said, "after I left I smelled your blood, and I knew you were bleeding. Don, our leader, told us about spilling blood being a bad sign for a Peacemaker and how dangerous pride was. That's why I wanted to talk to you by myself…I wanted to impress Don to get a higher position, but it was the wrong thing to do, and you were almost killed."_

_Once again, Robert was overwhelmed by the act of generosity. "Well, thanks. And look…I'm sorry I tried to kill you. Can you ever forgive me?"_

_Humphrey smiled at him. "I already have, brother."_

Brother. _Robert smiled. He stepped forward and hugged Humphrey like a brother._

_"So…" said Robert. "Do you, uh…happen to have any more room in your Peacemaker group?"_

_"Of course," said Humphrey. "I'll take you there now. Come on, Robert." He started to walk away._

_"Hey," said Robert. Humphrey stopped and looked back at him. "You can call me Rob."_

* * *

_Don, Reagan, Chris, and Dwain had been searching for Humphrey for a while. When they finally picked up on his scent and found him, they were astonished to see Robert walking with him. They all went back to the cave and they both shared the events from their perspective. Humphrey was not afraid to tell the truth._

_Don smiled and said to him, "Congratulations, Humphrey. You realized you did something wrong and put everything aside to try and fix it. You've let go. Both of you," he added, turning to Robert. "We could use an alpha to hunt for us and make everything a lot easier for us."_

_"I'd be happy to, sir," said Robert._

_Don smiled again. "Welcome to the family."_

* * *

_After a couple of days went by, Humphrey had been officially placed by Don on his team with Reagan, Chris, and Dwain. Reagan said he was happy Humphrey had finally learned to just let go. Humphrey said he never felt more alive and wanted to do whatever he could to help others realize that as well. He was even given his own personal den, as was Robert as well._

_Humphrey was still going to take constant trips back to Jasper due to his eventual position as omega leader, but would travel back and forth between Jasper and the Peacemakers. Salty, Shakey, and Mooch were invited any time to see their friend and hang out. Together, they all learned how to properly logsled._

_One evening, Robert was sitting by himself in the main cavern, watching a group of omegas play hot berry. Suddenly, he heard movement on his left and saw three female wolves looking at him. The ones one the outsides seemed a little nervous to be near him but made no attempt to leave. The middle one, however, was wearing a large smile on her face. She told her friends she was going to talk to him and she walked over._

_"Hi," she said._

_"H-hi," Robert said back. She was very pretty._

_"I'm Chelsea," she said._

_"Robert."_

_"You're the first alpha we've ever had here," said Chelsea._

_"Yeah, that's what Don said," replied Robert._

_Chelsea was looking at the scar beneath his eye._

_"I know," sighed Robert. "It's ugly, isn't it?"_

_"I, personally, don't think it looks that bad," said Chelsea. "Besides, I could care less about how you look. I think you're very brave for letting go."_

_If it was possible to feel a heart heat up, Robert's would be melting._

_"Th-thanks," he said nervously. "Hey, do you wanna…you know, have dinner with me? Tonight?"_

_She smiled at him. "I'd love to."_

* * *

_Three weeks went by and he fell in love with her more and more every single day. Finally, he got up the courage and asked her the question burning in his heart. She smiled and said that she'd love to. That night, after accepting each other's scent and nibbling each other's ears, Robert leaned forward and rubbed noses with the omega…_his _omega._

* * *

**A/N:** I hope this chapter was moving and explained any questions about Robert. Next chapter, we'll go back to the actual story. Until then, Marimba Buddy out.


	10. Looking Ahead

**A/N:** Here's chapter 10. I apologize that's it's been quite a while, but with schoolwork and other activities, I don't have _as_ much time for writing. You'll have to be patient with me.

* * *

Chapter 10-Looking Ahead

_**Present Time…**_

Humphrey and Robert sat in front of the silent crowd. Other than Don, Reagan, Chris, and Dwain, they had never gone into full detail about that day. Both of them always remembered the day as the day they had let go. Humphrey knew from the start he would someday be the Omega leader of Jasper, so he jumped on the chance to learn how to make peace when he met Reagan and decided to join the Peacemakers. However, he was so anxious that he had let his pride get the better of him and he tried to reason with a murderer and rapist by himself. In the end, Robert had gotten hurt, and Humphrey knew that it was his fault even though he didn't directly cause the rock to fall on Robert. When Humphrey had found out Robert was okay, he realized that he had saved Robert's life. He made a vow then and there that he would not let pride take advantage of him like that ever again.

Robert, on the other hand, had grown up stronger than every alpha in his pack, leading to his own pride and arrogance which quickly earned him the title of most-hated in the pack. He fell in love with a young female wolf one day, but she was in love with someone else. When they became mates, Robert was sent into a rage and murdered both of them in addition to raping her. This act got him banished from the pack (which he obviously did not like). By then, his misery was so great that he felt he had nothing left to do but rape girls and murder anyone who tried to stop him or interrupt him. He thought every wolf would surely turn and run from him out of fear as soon as they saw him, and most of them did. Rachel was afraid of him, but knew he wanted to rape her alive one day, which kept her fear at bay as she would always calmly turn him down. When the rock fell onto his chest, he felt more pain than he had ever felt, and it was complete torture. His "would-be" mate was dead, and no one was there to lend a paw for him as he laid dying, wondering why his life had always been such a waste of time. It was for this reason that he was so surprised when Humphrey had come back for him and began crying for his pain. Robert had never seen such a brotherly-act before. As soon as Robert realized how his rape and murder victims were in, essentially, the same painful situation as he was but lost their life in the end, Robert's shock turned to guilt as he now saw clearly what a wretch he was. Hopelessly, he asked Humphrey to forgive his own selfishness and attempts to murder him. When Humphrey forgave him, Robert knew what friendship was all about. One thing remained…he had nowhere else to go, so why not join the group that did this kind of friendship-seeking persuasion for a living? When Don not only accepted him but also allowed him to maintain an alpha's duties, Robert knew without a doubt that he was home. He didn't need rape and murder as long as he had friends. Not to mention he soon became mates with Chelsea, during which time he found out what true love meant. It wasn't about picking a girl with good looks like the one he thought he fell in love with at his old pack. No, it was about loving a girl's personality and accepting them regardless of their flaws, and he loved Chelsea deeply from her stunning appearance to her absolutely gorgeous character. He was happy.

Humphrey was happier, too, however there was one thing that kept poking him. Pack law said that no alpha and omega could mate. Robert and Chelsea were mates, which was perfectly fine considering they were technically outside of any pack law, however, as Humphrey watched them being mates, his love and desire for Kate could only grow. He desperately wanted to somehow be her mate, and kept hoping that he could somehow show everyone how much better life would be if wolves weren't judged by their ranks.

Winston finally cleared his throat. "That's…really interesting."

Humphrey knew what he was thinking. What was on his mind was probably on everyone's. _Humphrey saved this wolf?_

"Isn't it?" said Humphrey.

"That's crazy!" Garth spoke up.

Robert looked at him. "That's letting go."

Everyone was astonished. What seemed, at first, like an omega's strategy was now revealed to be a life-changing technique.

Humphrey glanced at Kate, who was staring at him. She was amazed at her mate for how he had managed to turn an alpha around like that. His heart was once again burning with regret for not telling her everything from the beginning. They were mates…nothing should be kept from each other. Nothing; not Peacemaker work, not sudden desires for dominance, nothing. Kate was thinking the same thing. As the understanding of letting go began its work in her heart, she regretted not choosing his love over her friends' request. Granted, she had wished Humphrey had told her about his doings while she had been away at alpha school. However, she was reaffirmed by how much he cared about her since he didn't want to hurt her, although she did want to know. Besides, she hadn't been honest with him about the dominance. They both had learned another lesson in being mates.

"So there you have it," Humphrey said. "That's letting go, and that's why Robert is here with that scar. Now, back onto business, if you don't mind."

"Of course, of course," said Winston. "Now, I don't know much about this William, as I've said, but I know he's got to be dangerous. After all, Don's death is quite a loss."

Reagan mumbled something like "Mmm-hmm."

"We need to look ahead," said Humphrey. "William's not to give up. He just won't quit. When we went to his den in the winter, he seemed angry by our trespass. We tried talking to him, we tried reasoning with him, we tried what we could, but he just wouldn't stop threatening us. Eventually, he started a brawl and we barely got out. No doubt he's got way more wolves this time. Sam?"

"Sir?" Sam said.

"Come here, please."

Sam stepped out of the crowd and sat next to Humphrey.

"Yes, sir?"

"Could you tell everyone what William's like?"

"Where do you want me to start?" Sam asked.

"Wherever you want to," Humphrey said.

Sam sighed and turned to the many heads glancing at him. The ones who had never fully seen him before were now noticing his clear resemblance to William's wolves.

"William," said Sam, "is a murderer. When I came here and heard a little bit of Robert's story…even then it wasn't nearly as bad. If you want to know what William looks like, imagine Robert, only larger, stronger, and with a vicious attitude. He's actually very similar to what Robert was like, only worse…not to mention William won't let go, either. I worked for him for about a year. I thought I was his favorite. After all, I _was_ his right-hand wolf at the time. We shared many laughs, did many things, killed many innocent wolves, and the blood bath goes on and on…The whole time, I knew William cared about himself rather than those whom he was killing. But it wasn't until the day Humphrey and Don and the others came that I realized that William, when you get right down to it, _only_ cares about himself, and he will abandon even those closest to him, which includes his right-hand wolf. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the same thing happens to Jack."

There was murmuring.

"Who's Jack?" Hutch asked, his voice bringing all of the attention back.

"Jack is the wolf we currently have in custody," said Sam. "He's William's replacement for me, apparently."

Reagan spoke up. "He was the one who almost took Humphrey to William two nights ago before I stepped in."

"You were almost kidnapped?" Winston said, looking alarmed.

"Yes," said Humphrey. "I would've ran, but I couldn't because of the ropes around my paws."

Winston looked over at his daughter, who looked back at him remorsefully.

_No_, she thought to herself. _No, please. Not here. Don't scold me here._

Humphrey saw the look in her eyes and spoke up. "But let's talk about that later…please," he said, giving Winston a look that said I've-got-it-under-control. Winston nodded, though still wishing to say something more about the topic.

Tonya was almost standing. As realization began hitting her more and more, she began thinking about what had happened if Reagan had not saved Humphrey. She had only wanted Kate to be on top, but she never wanted Humphrey to be killed about it. She knew that Kate's love for him was stronger than everything else. Love was always stronger, and she respected that. She glanced over at Reagan, who sat there with a nervous look on his face. He was anxious about the information being revealed so fast. He didn't want to get off-topic. He knew that a quarrel would weaken them in a time when they needed to prepare for a battle that most probably was going to come.

"Later…" Humphrey said again, bringing attention back to himself once more. "We need a plan."

"A battle plan," said Tony. Winston nodded in agreement.

"Yes," said Humphrey. "I don't like wars. They're so ugly. I can't help but think back to all those wolves, all those puppies, who were murdered in wars. We've had to walk through blood before."

Everyone was listening now.

"So many wolves…" Humphrey said, half talking to himself as he reminded himself of some of the things he had seen. "So many girls, raped and then killed."

Chelsea gave a small whimper of fear. Robert looked at her with a comforting desire.

Reagan nudged Humphrey. "Careful…you're losing it again."

"Oh, sorry," said Humphrey. "Well, sir. What do you, uh, think?"

Winston sighed. "I was hoping to retire real soon, but I think we may have to go to war with this…all of us."

There were some sighs, many from the Peacemakers and some from the smaller wolves from Jasper. Salty, Shakey, and Mooch all looked timid and pale.

"I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this," Winston loudly announced, "but we have no choice. Soon, and I mean very soon, we will fight to take back what is ours."

"That and William will continue his rampage if he isn't stop," Humphrey reminded everyone.

"Yes, that too, absolutely," said Winston. "I'm not sure exactly when or how we will do it, so I think another meeting just like this tomorrow will be good. Is everyone okay with that?"

Everyone seemed to agree. Although some weren't keen on war, they knew they probably had to.

"Good," said Winston. "Well, then. Goodnight to you."

Everyone began walking away. Sam said goodnight and walked off. Chelsea walked up to Robert and hugged him. Robert wrapped his paw around her and kissed her head.

"Come on, darling," he told her. "Let's go to bed."

She nodded and followed him.

Kate approached Humphrey.

"Are you okay?" Humphrey asked her, concerned about her almost being yelled at in front of everyone.

"I just wish this could all go away," she said miserably. "I just want to forget that night. Could you teach me how to…_let go_?"

"I wish I could," said Humphrey, "but it's something you have to learn on your own. You'll get there. Trust me."

Kate looked at him. Those words rang in her head as she remembered times when he told her that before. _Trust me_.

She smiled. "I trust you."

He smiled back. "Let's go to bed. Goodnight, Reagan."

"Goodnight."

Kate and Humphrey walked through the opening that led to the personal dens. Reagan stood alone in the cavern, thinking.

_Tonya_, he thought. _Oh, Tonya. Why must you be so much like Suzie was?_

He began walking around. _Maybe she's learned something_, he tried to convince himself. _Maybe she's let go. No…she likes me. If she let go, she'd be in my arms not wanting to let go of me at all. Why can't she let go? Robert's done it. It'll probably take time. I guess not everyone can crack that easily._

Reagan ended up walking through the exit outside. The colder night air hit him. He hadn't really been outside since he led Jasper's wolves into the cave the day before. It seemed like so long ago…he had learned so much since then.

The moon was shining down on him from the night sky. He glanced up at it, wondering. He wanted with all his heart to howl at it in hope, but he knew he'd give away their position if he did that, so he walked back inside.

As he passed by Humphrey's den, he watched Kate moving closer and closer to him as they slept. Reagan sighed sadly and walked into his den, where he laid down. He thought about Tonya some more, her nervous glances at him before. If she enjoyed dominance, why does she like him? She knows his story with Suzie. Right before he closed his eyes and fell asleep, one thought ran through his mind.

_If she _really_ was into dominance, why does she feel bad for me after what had happened_?

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it wasn't as interesting as some of the previous ones, but some chapters are meant to just move the story along, I guess. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!


	11. Rise of A New Day

**A/N:** Here's chapter eleven. I've lightly covered chapter 2 of Random and Yet Not's original "Dominance" story towards the end, just so you are aware. Enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER 11-Rise of A New Day

Humphrey's eyes opened. The morning sun was gleaming in through his peek-hole. He looked over at Kate, who was sleeping peacefully beside him. He smiled and kissed her head. When his lips made contact with her head, she opened her eyes.

"Good morning," she yawned.

"Good morning, Kate," said Humphrey. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine," said Kate, though the conversations of the previous night were still echoing through her ears.

"Are you hunting today?"

"I don't know," Kate said. "We might be, although we still have some caribou left over. Robert and the others sure can hunt well."

"They've learned a lot," said Humphrey. "We've got just as many wolves, but with only three alphas. Not exactly the most convenient situation."

Kate scoffed. "Yeah."

Humphrey looked at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Well, sort of. I'm just…worried."

"About what?"

"Everything," she responded. "First of all, I want to know what this _letting go_ thing is all about. It sounds really interesting. I want to know more about it. Also, with William out there, there's no telling what will happen. We could lose, and then we'll never have the chance to mate!" She began crying again.

"Shh…" Humphrey shushed her. "It's okay, Kate."

"I'll never forgive myself if I don't get the chance to take our relationship to the next level," she choked through tears.

"I don't know about that," Humphrey told her. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you. You have to remember that."

She gazed at him and stared into his blue eyes. She loved staring into his blue eyes, being hypnotized by them. She smiled.

"Okay," she said.

"Come on, take a walk with me."

The two of them got up and began walking. Although only two nights had been spent there, Kate began to know the cavern by heart. Some areas she hadn't explored were still unfamiliar, but others were more clear, especially the path from the entrance all the way to Humphrey's den. They emerged in the main cavern, which was empty.

"Is this where you always spent your time?" she asked him.

"Yeah," said Humphrey. "Almost every morning, Don would start the day off with some refreshing advice and plans."

"What was Don like?"

Humphrey stopped. What was Don like? How could he describe it?

"Well, he was a great leader," said Humphrey. "He told me a little bit about his past. Apparently he was always picked on by alphas in his old pack. They beat him up all the time…it was horrible. One day, he became a lone wolf because he knew he'd probably die eventually. From then, he started coming across other lone wolves and offered his company. Eventually, he had so many wolves traveling with him that he moved into this cave and started an underground group. I don't know how long ago that was, but sometime last summer he went to Jasper and saw how nice your father had things going over there. That's when he and Winston became friends. About two months after that, Don found Reagan and brought him in. A month after _that_, I accidentally almost took Reagan out with a log-board. He told me about the Peacemakers, and I told Salty, Shakey, and Mooch that I'd be going away for a little bit. They were sad, but happy when they found out I'd be coming back all the time. I had to go back and forth a lot between here and Jasper because of my omega leader duties. Anyway, Don was like a second father to me. I don't know how else to describe him. When he died a couple of nights ago, it was really painful. I felt like I lost my father again."

Kate listened to him speak. She knew exactly how he felt. She nuzzled him.

"Thanks," he said.

"Morning, you two."

They glanced over at the sound of the voice. It was Robert, and Chelsea was with him.

"Morning, Robert," said Humphrey.

"I don't think we've actually met," Robert said to Kate. "I'm Robert, obviously, and this is my mate, Chelsea."

Kate and Chelsea nodded at each other.

"What are you two talking about?" Chelsea asked.

"Don," said Humphrey.

"Oh," said Chelsea. "Yeah, I know why you'd be talking about him. It's a loss for all of us."

"Definitely," said Robert. "William has gone too far this time…and he's still not done. One day, he's going to get what his murdering has brought him. He doesn't understand that when you murder and rape, you build up resistance against you, and eventually they crush you. The only way out is to stop your evil…which is _letting go_. But, as Sam said last night, William probably will not let go. He's just that evil, and now we are forced to build up forces against him. It's the only way."

"Have you spoken to Jack?" Humphrey asked.

"Since yesterday, no," Robert replied. "I wasn't ready to listen to him insult my dear mate some more."

"He insulted me?" Chelsea said, saddened.

"Yes," said Robert, "but he's evil, too. You know that no matter what anybody says, I will still love you."

She looked at him and kissed him. "I love you, too."

Kate sighed. What happened that night when she tied ropes around Humphrey's paws? Why was it that the true love she had for him hid that night? Maybe, if she hadn't jumped on the chance to be dominant, she might have noticed an intruder enter their den.

"I want to talk to him again," Humphrey said.

Robert and Chelsea broke away.

"Why?" Robert asked.

"Because it's important," Humphrey said.

Robert sighed and led them back to the holding den.

"Well, look who's back," Jack taunted.

"Be quiet, Jack," said Humphrey. "We're not in the mood."

Jack looked at Kate. "Did you enjoy the dominance, Kate?" he said before letting out a laugh.

Kate grew angry. So this was the wolf that knocked her out and tried to have her mate killed? And now he was making references to that very night? She growled.

"Calm down, Kate," Humphrey said in her ear.

It took a few minutes, but she finally regained her peaceful mood. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" was all Jack could say to her. "An omega, Kate. Why?! Why couldn't you have become mates with that Garth guy? He's better looking, and an alpha, may I add!"

All four of them were shocked. How, exactly, did Jack know so much about Jasper's wolves?

"I love Humphrey," Kate said, annoyed. "Don't tell me who I can and can't love! And you can tell your leader that, too!"

"Even if I could, I wouldn't," said Jack simply. "It's despicable! That's not how tradition goes! Alphas with omegas! What next...sparrows and moose?"

"Don't be such a tradition-freak," said Robert. "You know what's another tradition? Alphas being leaders of packs…or groups. And guess what? Here, we've had two leaders, both omegas."

"Shut up, Robert," said Jack. "Anyone who supports this omega-garbage might as well be an omega!"

Robert and Kate both growled, which fueled Jack's pleasure as he laughed again.

"You fools!" he said. "Alphas are stronger and better! William's goal of ridding the world of the weak and worthless omegas is superior to anything you Peacemakers can ever come up with!"

Chelsea began crying quietly. Robert gave Jack a cold look as he hugged her.

"Don't you have any pity?" he said to Jack.

"Nope," said Jack, "and I hope I never do!"

Robert groaned and led Chelsea out of the cavern, who was feeling better in her mate's embrace. Kate and Humphrey were left in the room.

"Do you really think you can win, Humphrey?" Jack taunted. "Do you honestly believe William will be defeated?"

"Yes, I do," said Humphrey simply. "William's hot head only causes him to make stupid mistakes. With his pride, I'd be surprised if he ever made a smart and selfless decision."

Jack shook his head and put his head down, not wanting to talk anymore. Humphrey led Kate back into the main cavern.

"What's his problem?" Kate said. "He seems so arrogant. Why is he so determined to support his dangerous leader?"

"Because he has nothing else to do," said Humphrey with a sigh.

Reagan walked into the cavern with a puzzled look on his face.

"Good morning, Reagan. What's up?"

"Humphrey, Kate, I've been thinking," he said.

"About what?" Humphrey asked.

"About Tonya," said Reagan.

"Dude, I told you. You need to get to know her better. I don't think you should jump on the chance to be mates with her until you're sure she's not going to dominate you."

"I know," said Reagan, "but last night, I thought to myself, 'If Tonya _really_ was into dominance, why does she feel bad for me after what happened?'"

"That is a good question," said Humphrey.

Kate knew what they were talking about. Ever since they had heard Reagan's story about Suzie, Tonya seemed sadder.

Reagan sighed sadly. "I guess I can't do anything else about it for now," he said.

"Don't worry, bro," said Humphrey, patting Reagan on the back. "You'll be fine."

"I hope so," said Reagan, as he walked off into a corner. Robert entered from the tunnel that led to his den.

"Where's Chelsea?" Humphrey asked.

"She's in the den," Robert said. "She just needs some time. She can be very sensitive sometimes, but I don't blame her. I'd be a bit disturbed too if I were an omega."

"Tell her I said I hope she's okay," Humphrey said.

"Oh, I will," said Robert. "I definitely will."

"Um, Robert?" Kate asked nervously.

"Yes, Kate?"

"When did you and Chelsea become mates again?"

"A few weeks after I joined. Why?"

"That's back in the fall, then!" Kate said.

"Yeah," said Robert. "I know…that was still several months before the whole trip to Idaho Humphrey told us about that got your pack law against alphas and omegas mating taken away…and Chelsea's an omega. Yes, I know. But you see, Don formed this group for those who were driven from their packs unfairly for having these desires. He gave them a home here, and said that they would be free to choose any mate they would like, and it was his hope and goal that other packs would start to realize that…which your pack finally did. Your father, Winston, is a good wolf. It's nice to see that he cares so much for everyone in his pack, even the omegas."

Kate smiled. She nuzzled Humphrey. Robert smiled as well, but then felt the urge to ask a serious question.

"Kate, if you don't me asking…why did you rape Humphrey the other night?"

Kate's smiled vanished and her eyes began swimming.

"My friends," she said. "They…convinced me to do it. I never was comfortable about it, and I only ended up doing it so my friends wouldn't be mad. They don't mind me having Humphrey as a mate or anything, but they said they wanted me to show him that I'm in charge of our relationship because I'm an alpha. But…when you told your story last night about not being satisfied, that's exactly how I felt. No matter what, I felt guilty about it the whole time, especially when I saw the panicked look on Humphrey's face."

"I was panicking because I was thinking about Reagan and Suzie," said Humphrey. "I remember how Reagan reacted when I told him that you and I were mates. He congratulated me but said to make sure nothing like that happened, not that either of us distrusted you, but I think he may distrust you a little now, no offense."

Kate nodded. It was a completely reasonable feeling.

Suddenly, Humphrey's mind flashed once more with the events of that night.

* * *

_"Decided to keep my spot warm for me?" he asked, smiling. "Thank you."_

_"I own the entire den tonight," she responded in a serious tone. "You're lucky I don't make you sleep outside."_

_Humphrey chuckled. "Um, that's really funny, Kate. A bit late for jokes, though. Can I have my spot back now?"_

_"No you can't," said Kate, getting up. "Not until I say so. Now lay down in that spot. Right now!"_

_Humphrey looked confused. What was going on with her? "Kate, I told you. It's late. I'm tired and I just want to go to sleep…in my spot if that's alright."_

_Kate growled. "I said, lay down right now!"_

_What happened afterwards seemed to go by quickly. As he laid there, bound and confused, he heard Kate's voice from seemingly far away._

_"I'm not out to hurt you because I love you. I'm just simply playing my role. So you better get used to this. Since you're the omega still but a male and I'm the alpha, it's only fair if I get to_ dominate _you first before we mate. I'm sorry I had to bind you but this is the only way I could get this started…you would never have gone along with it in the first place and let's face it: a girl really can't control her urges when it's the season and like I said, this is only fair."_

Dominance? _Humphrey's mind was complete confused. He tried to speak, but the rope only allowed him to whimper._ No. Kate can't be like Suzie. She just can't be. She just…hasn't let go.

_As time passed, Humphrey's misery grew worse, and it was showing in his face. Kate would look at him, and act like she dismissed it, but Humphrey saw in her eyes that she didn't like what was going on. She wasn't satisfied._

* * *

"Humphrey!"

Humphrey blinked. Robert was looking at him.

"Sorry, Rob. What's up?"

"Are you alright?"

Kate was looking at him too.

"Yeah, I'm…fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes," said Humphrey. "I just…want to talk to Kate some more."

Robert nodded and walked off.

"Kate, can you take a walk with me?"

She nodded and followed him through the tunnel that led outside. He stepped onto a large rock that overlooked the sunrise and she sat next to him.

"Kate, when you asked me what letting go was, I told you that you had to learn by yourself."

"Yeah."

"But I think I can help you."

She grew excited. "You can? How?"

Humphrey looked at her and smiled. "Come with me…I want to show you something."

* * *

**A/N:** What does Humphrey want to show Kate? You'll find out...in the next chapter!


	12. Old Place & Old Face

CHAPTER 12-Old Place & Old Face

Humphrey went back inside to tell Reagan where he was going. Reagan nodded, understanding that he was responsible for letting Winston and Eve know should they wonder where Kate was. Humphrey went back outside and began leading Kate down a path. She wondered where he was taking her, but she was eager to find out. Humphrey thought of it as being very ironic, seeing as he was once in the same position that Kate currently was in.

"Make sure you keep your eyes and ears open," Humphrey reminded her. "We're not in the cave, so William's wolves could jump out from anywhere."

She nodded. The last thing she wanted was to be separated from him again.

They reached a point where the sunrise peeked through the trees from the sky.

"Humphrey, stop."

Humphrey turned around. "What is it, Kate?"

"The sky," she said. "It's just…so pretty. Don't you think?"

He knew she was trying to make light of the situation, but she wasn't going to forget about letting go, which was good. The problem was that it was going to eventually eat her alive.

"Kate, are you okay?"

She looked at him with her eyes swimming. "What if we never get to see a sunrise or sunset again? Remember how we would spend our time watching them?"

He remembered how they would spend the mornings and evenings sometimes. He remembered how they would nuzzle each other with love. Those days were great. Humphrey thought they would never end, until the day came when Kate was on break from alpha duties and was persuaded by her friends to dominate Humphrey. His face sunk like a rock as he wondered where the love went. Why did evil always have to interject in love?

"Yes, Kate. I remember," he said, kissing her head, and she nuzzled his neck.

"I wish we could stay here longer and enjoy this moment," she said.

"I do, too," said Humphrey. "But we can't. Not right now."

Kate sighed in disappointment and put her head down.

"But hey," Humphrey encouraged. "I know a romantic place not too far from the cave. It's not much, but it's got a good view and it's a great place to spend some quality time together. I know Robert and Chelsea have gone there a few times, and they had a great time together."

She managed a smile. "Okay."

She nuzzled him again and he nuzzled her back. He stood there hugging her, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to be with her for comfort for a little while.

* * *

Reagan was walking around the main cavern, thinking. His mind was going completely crazy.

"Reagan."

He turned. It was Winston.

"Have you seen Kate?"

"Yeah, Humphrey took her for a walk."

"In the forest?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Reagan, "but don't worry. I know where he's going, and there's no way William's wolves are going down there."

"What's he taking her for?" Winston asked curiously.

Reagan gave him an assuring look. "He says he thinks it'll help her, you know…_let go_."

Winston nodded. "Okay," he said. He trusted Humphrey completely. He was just worried that Eve still didn't trust him completely, so he knew he had to make sure Eve remained calm. He left.

Reagan sighed again.

"Hi, Reagan," said a female voice. He turned.

"Oh hi, Chelsea, Robert," he said.

"You okay?" Robert asked.

"Sort of," Reagan said. "I think…uh…I think I _might_ be falling in love with one of Kate's friends."

"Really?" asked Chelsea. "Congrats!"

"Thanks," said Reagan, "but she was one of them who told Kate to dominate Humphrey."

"Suzie-like," said Robert.

"Yeah," said Reagan. "Yeah. I don't know. I know I shouldn't just rush into a relationship…not again, but I can't stop thinking about her. She seems different than Suzie, though. Suzie was always so confident when she spoke to me. I should've known. True love isn't as confident as Suzie acted: there's got to be some sort of emotion, you know? She always acted like she was going to get her way with me from the beginning, even before we started "dating." I should've known. Why was I dating at that early age, anyway? I didn't know better, but I do now. Anyway, Tonya doesn't seem quite like that. I think I should just get to know her better…see what she's really like."

"Good luck, bro," said Robert. "Be careful."

"Oh, I will. Thanks, Rob," said Reagan.

Robert nodded and Chelsea smiled as they both began walking.

Reagan sighed again, thinking. He had to find Tonya to figure things out. He couldn't keep hoarding any feelings he had for her forever.

Right on cue, a group of females entered the room and one of them stopped when she saw Reagan. Reagan looked over at her.

"Tonya, excuse me, but can I—talk to you for a minute?"

She glanced nervously at her friends, who nodded and backed away. She glanced back at Reagan and nodded, walking over to him.

"Hi, Reagan," she said.

"So, I just wanted to talk," he told her calmly.

She grew nervous. What did he want to talk about?

"What do you want to talk to me about?" she said.

Reagan looked at her. "Just…each other. I thought, since your pack is staying here with our group and we'll probably be fighting against William together, we might as well get to know each other better. Don't you agree?"

"Yeah," she said. She had a feeling there was more than just that.

"So," he said, giving a smile to try and stop her from feeling nervous. "How are things going with you?"

She hesitated. What would she tell him?

* * *

Humphrey and Kate had been hugging for a while. Humphrey finally let her go.

"Kate, we should keep moving. I don't want to be out here too long."

"Yeah," she said. "Okay."

He continued leading her down a dirt path. Although it had been months, Humphrey still knew the path very well. How could he forget it? It was the path he had run down quite a few times in one night.

As they continued moving, Kate began wondering again where he was taking her. What did he want to show her, and how would it help her let go?

Humphrey had a feeling Kate was wondering this. He knew she was confused, which is why he wanted to make sure she was comfortable the whole time.

As they crossed into a lower region of land, a familiar site greeted them, especially Humphrey. He glanced over and saw a large rock with blood stains on it. Also, there was the smell of something rotting coming from nearby. Kate saw the rock and gasped. What was this place?

"Humphrey, where are we?"

Humphrey looked at her. "I'm about to show you. I have to warn you, it may shock you, but I believe it's good help. Besides, you're tough. I know you are."

She couldn't argue with him. He led her into a nearby den, where the smell was worse. Humphrey glanced down at the source. Kate saw it too and gasped. It was a corpse, a female corpse. Kate still wasn't sure about where they were until she remembered the rock outside. Details came back to her as she turned to look at Humphrey.

"This is—this is Robert's old den, isn't it?"

Humphrey nodded. "Yes."

Kate stared around at the walls of the den. It was a lot darker than what she had imagined.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked. "It's disgusting and creepy."

"I know," said Humphrey, "but you wanted to learn how to let go, so I thought I'd let you see the place where Robert and I both did. Come on, I don't want to hang around here too long. The smell's getting to my head already."

They walked back out and over to the rock that was once drawing blood from Robert's chest.

"This is that rock, then?" Kate asked.

"Yes," said Humphrey. "The blood is dry now. It took me every fiber in my body to be able to lift it enough to where Robert could actually help me."

"Is that why he let go?"

"Yes. He says that it was the first act of friendliness he had ever seen, and after he almost tried to kill me, too. That started it, but what really sent him into regret was when he realized he was the rock to his victims, and they all died."

Kate listened. She yearned to hear more, even though she already knew the entire story now.

"And then?"

Humphrey sighed. "Well, then he joined and became mates with Chelsea. He's pretty much been like he is now since then."

Kate felt the urge to nuzzle him again, which she did.

* * *

Back at the cave, Chris stepped out for a breath of fresh air.

"Yo, Chris."

Chris turned around. It was Salty, Shakey, and Mooch.

"Oh, hey guys. What's up?"

"Have you seen Humphrey?"

"No," said Chris. "I think he might be with Kate."

"Okay," said Shakey. "Well, when you see him, tell him we want to talk to him."

"Yeah, sure guys."

"See ya, Chris!" Salty said as they walked back into the cave behind him.

Chris nodded and continued staring outward. A rumbling came from the left. He looked over and saw gray clouds moving in.

"Ooh, storm coming in," he said, walking back inside.

* * *

Humphrey and Kate continued nuzzling each other until suddenly a chilly gust of wind blew in, causing them both to shiver.

"We'd better head back," said Humphrey.

"Yeah, that looks like a bad storm," said Kate, agreeing.

"Hear that wind?"

"Yeah."

Humphrey listened. The wind sounded like it was howling, screeching, screaming, crying. Wait…crying?

"Kate, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Like a moaning or something."

She listened. Sure enough, something was echoing through the woods that sounded like panic and crying.

"What is that?"

"I don't know," said Humphrey.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the woods, holding her head down. She noticed the two standing there and looked up at them. As soon as she did, Humphrey recognized the face.

"Rachel?"

* * *

**A/N:** What's Rachel's problem? I'm sure some of you can probably assume. You'll find out...in the next chapter.


	13. A New Member & Revealed Secrets

CHAPTER 13-A New Member & Revealed Secrets

"Rachel? Is that you?"

She looked at Humphrey. "You. I remember you. You were the wolf who told me that Robert was in pain, right?"

"Yeah. I'm Humphrey."

"Humphrey. That's right."

"How are you?"

"Bad," she said. "Some black wolves just burst into my den and started attacking me. They started wrecking my den, but I managed to escape."

"Black wolves?" Humphrey said.

"Yeah," she said.

Humphrey groaned. _William_.

"It's probably William's wolves," said Humphrey.

"Who's he?"

"We'll explain later. Do you have someplace to stay?"

"No," said Rachel. "I was hoping to stay in Robert's den, even if it meant having to put up with that smell."

"Why don't you come with us?" Humphrey suggested.

"With you?" she said.

"Yeah, you can stay at the Peacemaker cave," said Humphrey, and Kate nodded.

"I don't know," said Rachel. "I left my old pack because I felt my place wasn't there. I've been on my own for a while. I never thought about ending my lone-wolf days."

"Traditions," said Humphrey. "After a while, they can become dangerous. Please…come with us. We'll make you feel at home. If you still want to be a lone wolf after the fight against William, you can."

Rachel considered this, and finally agreed.

"Okay, thanks."

"This is my mate, by the way…Kate. Kate, this is Rachel, the ex-pack healer who healed Robert after he got cut on the rock."

"Hi."

"Hello," said Rachel. "Robert…I almost forgot. How is he doing?"

"Great," said Humphrey. "He's even got a mate now."

"Really?" said Rachel. "What's her name? What's she like?"

"Her name's Chelsea. She's an omega but she's really nice. I guess that's why Robert fell in love with her. I mean, that's what happened between Garth and Lilly, right?" Humphrey asked Kate, who nodded.

Rachel smiled, happy for Robert's happiness.

"Anyway," said Humphrey. "Let's go. The wind's picking up."

"Yeah," said Kate. "Come on, Rachel."

The three of them began walking back up the path to the Peacemaker cave.

"What were you two doing out here, anyway?" Rachel asked.

"Well, I wanted to teach Kate how to let go," said Humphrey.

"Let go?"

"It's what we call it when someone abandons selfish and harmful desires for the greater good. Robert and I both let go that night. It's a learning process; once you start, you can't really stop for the rest of your life. I always loved Kate, and I will admit my jealousy of Garth got the better of me a little bit. When Kate told me about uniting the packs, I felt that I couldn't stay there. I knew that I had to let Kate do what she wanted if I really loved her. I was gonna catch a train going…well, anywhere, but then I realized I couldn't run from my problems either, so I came back, and it's a good thing, because Kate had fallen in love with me, and we showed the pack that alphas and omegas could be mates. And I didn't even need to be strong, proud, or an alpha's alpha."

"That's nice," said Rachel. "That's good. At my old pack, alphas and omegas weren't allowed to mate, and I grew sick of having to treat injured wolves all the time. Finally we grew overpopulated and I could take an early retirement because of all the other pack-healers that were coming in. I just couldn't handle it. Congrats on your pack's luck."

Kate smiled and nuzzled Humphrey. She was glad she was mates with him…he really loved her. She began feeling guilty again about how she had failed a few nights back to return the favor.

Although she was good friends with Humphrey, Kate thought that he had no sense of responsibility or duty, but that everything was a joke to him. The trip back from Idaho, however, showed her that he had his own sense of responsibility as a different rank of the pack. He also made her giggle with the friendly jokes he made, and he saved her life twice. His howl to the moon was what she had fallen in love with the most.

Humphrey, on the other hand, learned things of his own. Before the trip to Idaho, he had fun playing with Kate as a child, but he mainly saw her beauty. He didn't fully realize it, but he was slowly making the same mistake Reagan did. After the trip from Idaho, he saw past Kate's appearance and at her skills, teamwork, and cooperative attitude. It was for this reason that he, at this time, _truly_ fell in love with her, as she fell in love with him at the same time.

They reached the cave and entered. Many wolves were in the cavern, talking with each other about different things. Some looked up and began looking at the middle-aged new wolf who had walked in with Kate and Humphrey. As they reached the front, Chelsea looked up at them.

"Hello Humphrey, Kate. Who's this?"

"Chelsea, this is Rachel, the pack healer who healed Robert's chest the night he and I let go."

Chelsea gasped and stared at her in amazement. Rachel heard the name.

"Chelsea? So you're Robert's mate, then?"

"Yes, I am," she said. "We've been mates for about eight months."

"Can I talk to Robert?"

"Sure." Chelsea walked over to the cave that led to her and Robert's den. "Robert, honey. There's someone here who wants to see you."

After a few moments, Robert emerged and saw Rachel.

"Rachel? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me," said Rachel, looking at her old antagonist. "My, you've gotten to be quite the sweetheart, haven't you?" she said with a smile, glancing over at Chelsea.

"Yeah," said Robert in a slightly-embarrassed voice. "What're you doing here?"

"A wolf…William, isn't it? A wolf sent his army or whatever to destroy my den this morning. I ran over to your den because I didn't know where else to go and I found Kate and Humphrey."

"You went to my old den?" Robert asked Humphrey.

"Yes. Kate really wants to learn how to let go, so I thought I'd show her the place where you did and I did. We didn't stay too long, of course. That place is creepy."

"Yeah, it is," said Robert. "I was a creepy wolf."

"You were," said Humphrey, "but you're not anymore."

Robert smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem. Rachel, do you need a place to stay?"  
"Yeah," she said.

"Dwain!" Humphrey called. His squad-mate came running.

"Yeah, Humphrey?"

"Could you show Rachel here to a room?"

"Rachel?" Dwain asked. "As in, the pack-healer who—?"

"Healed me?" Robert finished. "Yes, she's here because William's taken control of her den, too."

"Oh, shame," said Dwain. "Yeah, yeah, I'll show her to one of our dens."

Rachel followed Dwain down an opening.

"Humphrey," said Winston, entering with Eve. _Good, he's back_, he thought, relieved that Eve wasn't going to be tempted.

"Sir, good morning."

"I believe your friends are looking for you."

"Okay," said Humphrey. "Do you know where they are?"

"Yes," said Winston. "They're in your den."

Humphrey nodded. He walked through the tunnel until he reached his den. His three friends looked up.

"Yo, Humphrey," said Shakey. "We wanna talk to you."

"Okay," he said, walking inside and taking a seat. "What's up?"

They looked at each other.

"Humphrey, we think it's great that you're a leader now, but we're a little nervous."

"About what?"  
"You," said Mooch. "William's after you most of all. We don't want him to succeed, but we don't want to lose our friend either, Humphrey."

"Guys," said Humphrey. "I told you, Don's been secretly training me since he told me he wanted me to take over…even I didn't want to do it at first. I know what I'm doing."

"We know you do," said Salty, "but there's always that chance. You're not invincible, Humphrey. As good of a leader as Don was, he got killed by William."

Humphrey sighed, sad at the reminder. "He may have been killed," he said, "but he wasn't defeated. Good will never be defeated."

The three of them sighed.

"Just be careful, okay Humphrey?" Shakey said.

"I will," said Humphrey. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate the concern."

They nodded and walked out. Shortly after, Reagan and Chris walked in.

"Humphrey," said Reagan.

"Reagan. What's up?"

"Chris says Jack's been mumbling."

"Mumbling?"

"Yeah," said Chris. "I was on guard duty last night, and he kept making these groaning noises. I thought a raccoon was trying to steal our caribou again. 'You need to keep a better look out.' Stupid raccoon thinks he's better than me."

"Maybe you should teach them to let go," said Humphrey with a laugh.

"I think I will," said Chris. "They have no respect."

"Yeah," Reagan agreed. "Now…Jack."

"Oh, yeah," said Chris. "I've been listening to Jack talk in his sleep. I think—Humphrey, I think something's bothering him."

Humphrey was silent. "What do you mean?"

"I think something's not right in his mind," said Chris.

"I already knew that," said Humphrey. "Something's wrong in all of our minds at some point before we let go."

"That's the point," said Chris. "I don't think he even realizes it yet himself, but I think his un-satisfaction is getting to him."

"This is good," Humphrey thought out loud. "This is real good."

"Humphrey, do you think Jack has a chance of letting go?" Reagan asked.

"Don't know," said Humphrey, "but we can always hope."

"Yeah," said Reagan. "We can always hope."

"Dude, how was your talk with Tonya?" Chris asked him.

"Fine," said Reagan. "I think she's starting to open up. I'm beginning to expose her un-satisfaction. Apparently, she and Kate were best friends since puppyhood basically. She really wants a mate, and she always said she wanted a strong alpha to 'sweep her off her feet' and give her the biggest kiss of her life. She said she'd cry when that happens, but all the alphas she's tried haven't given her that 'wow' sensation yet. She's unsure if she'll ever find the right one."

"Wow," said Chris. "You really pay attention."

"You bet I do," said Reagan. "Anyway, she admitted she was somewhat jealous of Kate getting together with Humphrey, and so she and her friends managed to get Kate to dominate him. This was all an attempt to satisfy her. In other words, she was so jealous of Kate's relationship that she…well, kind of wanted it to be delayed. She wanted Kate and Humphrey to hold off on…you know, having puppies until she found a mate. She wanted to be first."

"Hmm," said Humphrey with intense curiosity. "That _does_ seem like Tonya."

"Should we tell Kate?" Chris asked.

"No," said Humphrey firmly. "No, I don't want their friendship ruined. Let's wait until both of them have learned to let go, so Kate won't be as mad and Tonya won't feel as guilty."

Both Reagan and Chris nodded.

"What did you tell Tonya about yourself?" Humphrey asked.

"Just an overview of my life," said Reagan. "I wasn't about to go into details about that dreadful night," he added, motioning to his scar.

Humphrey nodded.

"Humphrey," said Chris. "What happens if Kate and Tonya don't ever let go?"

Humphrey sighed. "I don't want to think about it."

"Well, what should we do now?"

Humphrey thought for a moment.

"For now, let's have another short little talk with Jack."

* * *

**A/N:** Well, everything's beginning to be revealed now, isn't it? Anxious for the end? That's still quite a ways away, but it'll probably be posted faster than you know it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Remember, if you have any questions or comments, PM or review. If not, I hope you're enjoying the story! Peace out!


	14. Partially Revealed

**A/N:** This is a shorter chapter, but then again I usually post weekly with my schedule. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

CHAPTER 14-Partially Revealed

Humphrey, Reagan, and Chris walked into the holding den where the black wolf laid sleeping.

"There he is," Reagan said. "What was he saying, Chris?"

"'So long, so precious, so…bored,'" quoted Chris.

"Bored?" Humphrey said. "Well, sounds like he might be discovering why raping and killing doesn't pay in the end."

"Uh-huh," said Reagan.

Jack groaned.

"Shh," said Humphrey. "He might say something."

"Uhhhh…sir? Can I take a break from this? I'm feeling a little tired," Jack said in his sleep. "No, no, nothing like that. I like it, it's just getting a little old. Can I please just take a few minutes off?"

_A few minutes off?_ Reagan mouthed at Humphrey and Chris, who both shrugged.

_What does he want a break for?_ Humphrey mouthed back.

Chris looked at Jack, who was beginning to toss and turn.

"Wow, he's really being mentally tormented by something."

"Yeah," said Reagan.

Jack turned over so his sleeping face was facing the three wolves outside.

"Oh, great. Now he's looking this way," Reagan said.

"So? He's still sleeping," said Humphrey.

"What if wakes up?" Chris asked. "How mad do you think he'll be?"

"Very," said Humphrey. "Annoyed, at least."

"Mmm-hmm," Reagan agreed.

Jack's dream calmed down and he began to hear the distinct chatter happening a few feet away.

"Maybe if he's feeling tired of raping and killing," Reagan suggested, "we could use that as our advantage."

"Don't count on it."

Jack had heard the voice, and responded though he was unsure whose it was. He opened his eyes, saw the three wolves, and figured out it was Reagan.

"Ah, you're back," he said, yawning. "What now?"

"We want to talk to you, Jack," said Humphrey. "Yes, now," he added when Jack groaned.

"Forget it," he snapped. "There's nothing to talk about. William's gonna find this place eventually, and you'll all be in trouble when he does."

"Doubt it," said Humphrey.

"Why are you so sure of yourself?" Reagan chimed in.

"Because, _Reagan_," Jack said, annoyed. "_I_ am a favorite of William's, which is why he picked _me_ to be his next right-hand wolf."

"William has favorites still?" Reagan asked. "Wow. And that makes you feel good?"

"Completely," said Jack. "William is a great leader who treats us all with respect."

"He does now," said Humphrey. "Don't let your guard down, though. Sam thought William was a great leader too until…"

"…_until he betrayed us!_" Jack bellowed angrily, his voice echoing around on the walls. "He left us! William was not a bad leader, Sam was a bad right-hand wolf! That's all there is to it!"

"Wrong," said Humphrey, slightly mad. "How can you still stand up for William after that? Think…think back to that day, you were there. Think back to how he reacted when you found out Sam was missing. Does that sound like William cares about all of his wolves? Or just himself?"

Jack was speechless. He didn't want to admit anything.

"Shut up," he finally said. "I don't need to talk to you. I'll find a way out of here eventually. And when I do, you'll all pay! You'll _all_ pay!"

Humphrey sighed and looked at his friends.

"He's crazy," said Chris.

"Besides," Jack continued, "dominance is much stronger than stupid peace. You remember, Humphrey?"

Humphrey grimaced as his eyes found the fading rope burns on his paws. It seemed like a while ago now, but it was really only a few nights ago.

"Are you sure, Jack?"

"I'm as sure as ever!" Jack said. "That's why William wanted it to be perfect!"

"Wanted what to be perfect?"

Jack smiled.

"Jack, what does William want from me?"

Jack turned and looked at him. "Everything you have."

Humphrey shook his head. William would, no doubt, want Humphrey's life, but that would mean taking Kate's life, too. That wasn't going to happen.

"Don't be so sure," said Humphrey. "William doesn't know what he's doing."

"Yes he does," said Jack. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to catch up on sleep."

"Why? You were sleeping fine a few minutes ago."

"Yeah, 'til you freaks woke me up. Now good night." He put his head down sourly.

"Technically, it's not night anymore," Chris pointed out.

"Let's go," said Humphrey, annoyed. "We're not getting anywhere with him."

They entered the main cavern, where Winston and all of the Jasper Park wolves were gathered. Winston was looking down at Don's pale and lifeless face. When he heard footsteps, he turned.

"Humphrey," he said. "Why did this have to happen? Don was such a good wolf."

"Yeah," said Humphrey. "You have no idea how hard it was for me when he died. I felt like I lost a father."

Kate walked up to him and nuzzled him.

"Humphrey," Winston continued. "What, exactly, is William like? What happened that day that caused him to become so angry at you all?"

"Well," said Humphrey, realizing that it was time for a story again. "It's a long story, so I guess I'll have to start from the beginning."

* * *

**A/N:** Next chapter: Yes, the full story of the day the Peacemakers confronted William and recruited Sam. You're probably looking forward to that. Until then, peace out!


	15. A Day to Be Remembered

**AN:** This is the longest and probably most suspenseful chapter so far in the story. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

CHAPTER 15-Days to Be Remembered

_**Six Months Earlier…**_

_Humphrey woke up in his den and shivered. The cold air from outside was leaking in through his sun-hole near the ceiling. Winter had arrived and brought its usual gusts of cold wind with it. Humphrey decided to get up right away and start walking so he could stay warm._

_It had been three months since the incident between him and Robert, and two months since Robert had become mates with Chelsea. So much had happened since then. Don had taken them on so many trips already. Some places offered them nothing but insults and bruises, but it was worth it, because others were persuaded into letting go. It warmed the heart to see others joining together in such a way. It was that desire and that desire alone that always kept the Peacemakers going._

_Don was a great leader. He always had a patient attitude and accepted anyone's choice should they be unsure whether or not they would let go. He was also very comical at the right moments, giving others a laugh when needed. He was always positive, and Humphrey began to find himself acting more like him, something that would come in handy later._

_Humphrey entered the main cavern as others began filing in. He remembered what Don had told him and the others in his squad the night before._

"Listen, guys. Tomorrow, we'll be starting on our way to a very dangerous location. I've heard rumors from some of our new recruits that there is a vicious army down a day's hike down south. They kill, torment, rape, all of that stuff…like Robert was, only worse. It's led by a wolf named William, who is probably the most dangerous wolf alive. We must try to talk reason into him, but do not be surprised if he doesn't go for it and we have to come back and plan another option. Ready yourselves, and get a good night's sleep. We'll talk more about it in the morning."

_Humphrey sat with anticipation, waiting for the assignment. After a while, Reagan and the others came in and fist-pumped him._

_"Hey, guys. How's it going?"_

_"Awesome," said Chris. "I'm ready for today."_

_"Not so fast," Reagan said. "Don said we would have to hike all day and won't actually get there until early in the morning tomorrow."_

_"Must be important if we're travelling that quick," Dwain pointed out._

_Don entered. "Good morning, Peacemakers."_

_"Morning, Don," they all said in unison._

_Don chuckled. "Well, we certainly have energy this morning, as some of us should," he added, glancing at his squad, who all nodded._

_Don looked back. "First, Robert will lead you all in the morning stretch. Afterwards, my squad and I will be departing, and won't be returning for a few days."_

_There were many murmurs of surprise and worry._

_"Now, now," Don assured. "Surely you're not that worried? Now I won't lie, where we are going is dangerous, but we will pull through. We'll be back soon."_

_All nodded. Humphrey began to feel nervous. How dangerous was this wolf they would be encountering soon? His mind was filled with questions, but he kept silent as the stretches began._

_After the stretches were over, they said one last goodbye to the rest. Robert patted Humphrey on the shoulder on the way out._

_"Be careful, brother."_

_"I will. Take care."_

_As they stepped out into the snow, Humphrey shivered. The combination of the cold with the anxiety of facing this William wolf gave him chills. He still missed Kate, too. He hoped that she was alright in her alpha training._

_Don would glance at him occasionally._

_"How are you doing, Humphrey?"_

_"Okay, I guess," said Humphrey._

_"What's bugging you? William?"_

_"Yeah," said Humphrey._

_"Humphrey," said Don, walking beside him as the others kept moving. "There's no need to fear William. What can he do? Hurt us? Kill us? There's many wolves at the cave. Remember what I told you…we don't fight, but we will defend. There's not enough of his wolves to overthrow every pack leader in the world, and I'm sure many would let go and join forces with us if he even tried. Winston would, I'm sure. Evil never wins, Humphrey. It may have a great start sometimes, but it fails every time in the end."_

_Humphrey smiled. "Thanks, Don."_

_Don returned the smile. "Not a problem. Come on, let's keep moving."_

* * *

_They walked south for an entire day and finally settled in the forest for the night. Chris and Dwain laid down and began talking about William._

_"I hear he likes causing pain," Chris said._

_"Uh-huh," Dwain agreed. "Something's not right about him."_

_Reagan was laying by himself, staring at the appearing stars in the sky. Humphrey walked over to him._

_"Reagan, what are you doing?"_

_Reagan sighed. "Thinking."_

_"About?"_

_Reagan looked at him. "Mmm…don't know exactly. Sometimes I feel I just need to…think." He looked back up at the sky._

_"You nervous?"_

_"About tomorrow? Absolutely. You heard Don. William's not one to mess with. Tomorrow's gonna be dangerous, even more dangerous than when you faced Robert for the first time, and this time there's all five of us."_

_"Yeah," said Humphrey, remembering Robert's angry face three months prior when he was accidentally awoken by Humphrey._

_"Humphrey, have you ever wondered if you'll find a mate or not?"_

_Humphrey sighed. "I think about it all the time."_

_"Me, too. Well, maybe not_ all _the time, but often. It's been about half a year now since I left Suzie, and I'm glad I did, but I'm curious. Do you think I ever will find another girl? One who will actually care about me?"_

_"Maybe," said Humphrey._

_"I know Don says not to obsess over finding a mate, and I can see why, but there's always that feeling of curiosity, and I_ would _like a mate."_

_"I know, bro," said Humphrey. "I know."_

_"Hey, Dwain!" Reagan called. Dwain looked over. "Did Don tell you the plan for tomorrow?"_

_Dwain walked over. "Sort of. He mentioned it a little bit but not much. Basically, we're gonna be heading straight to William's den. We don't want to stray into someone else's den. That's gonna get us killed pretty quickly. We need to stick to the plan. One good thing about William is that he won't try to kill anybody until he hears what they have to say. Shame…he won't always take it into account, though."_

_"Yeah," said Reagan. "Thanks."_

_"No prob." Dwain walked back over and laid down again._

_"Alright," Don announced. "Let's get some shut-eye. We need as much rest now so we can take on the day tomorrow. It's going to be a day to be remembered."_

_Humphrey found his own spot and laid down, thinking about everything that was going on. He was wondering about tomorrow, and about William could possibly be like. If it was true that William was worse than Robert used to be, things might get ugly fairly quickly. He closed his eyes._

_"Goodnight, Kate," he said, before falling asleep._

_Don heard these words and looked over at Humphrey._

_"Anything can happen, Humphrey," he said quietly. "Don't be afraid to express yourself."_

* * *

_The next morning greeted them with a usual breath of fresh air. Humphrey awoke and yawned._

_"On, man," he said. He realized it was morning, the day they confronted William. What would happen?_

_Reagan stirred and opened his eyes. "Yo, Humphrey. Is anyone else up?"_

_"Not yet," said Humphrey. "Can you believe what we're doing today, man?"_

_"Nope," said Reagan. "This is a first for me, but not necessarily a first for you."_

_"Yeah, I know," said Humphrey._

_Don awoke. "Good morning, Humphrey…Reagan. I'm going to take a look at the landscape, to see how close we are. Do me a favor and wake Chris and Dwain, would you please?"_

_Don got up and walked through the trees. Humphrey and Reagan walked over and shook their friends awake._

_"Aw, man. Morning already?" Chris said when he opened his eyes._

_"Yep," said Humphrey._

_Chris groaned. Dwain did the same._

_"It doesn't even look like morning," said Dwain. "It's still dark."_

_"Remember what Don said," Reagan reminded him. "It's darker longer in the winter."_

_"Oh, yeah. I forgot."_

_"Where is Don, anyway?" Chris asked._

_"He left to go check out the area," said Reagan._

_"Before sunrise?" Dwain asked._

_"Hey, he wants us to get a head start," said Reagan._

_"Ah, that explains it."_

_Chris shivered. "Ugh…I hate winter, sometimes. So cold."_

_"Yeah," said Dwain._

_"Is it just me, or is it a little colder than what I'm used to?" Humphrey asked._

_"Yeah, yeah. I get it," said Dwain._

_Reagan shook his head. Humphrey looked at him._

_"What?"_

_"Suzie liked winter," said Reagan. "She said she likes the cold because it makes anyone weaker than her more pathetic. I guess it's a good thing that I left in the summer, then…right?"_

_They all nodded._

_There was silence for a few moments, until it was broken by Chris as he gazed at the horizon through the trees._

_"Whoa."_

_They all looked. The sun was coming up, lighting up the sky as usual, but something was different. The sky had a colorful glow to it…a glow of orange. The entire sky was lighting up a bright orange, something they had never seen during winter before._

_"Wow," Humphrey said. "That's…amazing."_

_"It gives you a sense of peace," Reagan said. "Makes you feel like nothing matters except spreading peace and friendship."_

_They all agreed. There was something about the glow that really seemed to give them confidence in their quest to talk to William._

_"Enjoying the sky?"_

_They turned to see Don walking back._

_"Don," Reagan said. "The sky's brighter than we've ever seen."_

_"I know," said Don with a smile. "I've only seen this happen in the summertime, but it's not impossible for winter." His smile faded. "Of course, if the sky's peaceful now, it's bound to get rough later. Beautiful skies now mean a bad storm later, and beautiful skies at night mean good weather for the next day. Today's going to start off great, but end pretty badly, I think."_

_They all looked at each other._

What? _Reagan mouthed at Humphrey, who shrugged nervously._

_Don sighed and walked through the trees. The rest followed him and found him sitting atop a small cliff overlooking the sky. They decided to leave him be, until he called one of them over._

_"Humphrey."_

_Humphrey looked up._

_"Go!" whispered Reagan, as Chris and Dwain urged him with their paws to go over._

_Humphrey slowly walked over to his sitting leader, who finally turned to look at him._

_He sighed. "Humphrey, you've been with us for a little while."_

_"Only three months," Humphrey said, not wanting to think he had done more work than he actually had._

_"Well, I've been watching how you've been doing as a Peacemaker," Don said. "And…well…I'm not going to be around forever. I'll need someone to take over for me after I'm gone."_

_Humphrey looked at him. "M-me?" he asked._

_Don nodded._

_"I-I don't know," said Humphrey immediately. "I'm not much of a leader."_

_"Didn't Winston tell you that you would be your pack's omega leader?"_

_"Yeah," said Humphrey, "but that's a smaller job. I only have the omegas I'm in charge of. This is, like, twenty wolves here."_

_"Thirty, including you," said Don. "Humphrey, don't be afraid."_

_"I know," said Humphrey. "I don't want to be afraid."_

_"I know you don't," said Don, "but I want you to listen to me. Nothing..._nothing…_good will come if you let fear take control of your life. You know what happens when you let yourself get too scared to do what's right? You walk straight past and let evil win, and we don't want that, do we?"_

_Humphrey shook his head._

_"No," said Don, who sighed. "Humphrey, listen…a good leader is not someone who hides his mistakes to make himself look perfect, or has the most strength or best ability to do the job. A good leader is someone who is not afraid to admit his mistakes, and who knows how to get the job done right no matter how much strength he has or how good he can do it. Besides, I have confidence in you."_

I have confidence in you._ Humphrey looked into Don's eyes, and in that moment, he no longer saw Don as just a leader, but like a father as well._

_Humphrey smiled. "Thanks, Don."_

_Don chuckled and hugged Humphrey, who hugged him back. Humphrey hadn't seen his actual father in so long, and it felt nice to have someone who would be a father to him._

_The other three joined as Don released Humphrey and looked back at the sky again._

_He sighed once more. "Let's hope we do what we need to today."_

* * *

_They began walking more and more. Humphrey grew more nervous about the conversation they would be having with this William wolf shortly. To add to the suspense, dark clouds were rolling in over in the distance, and heavily-blowing snow was clearly visible beneath them. Humphrey shook his head as a chill wiped over him._

_Reagan took a notice to this and glanced over at the clouds, shaking his head as well._

_Don stopped them. They had reached the edge of a pack where dark wolves were everywhere. Some were violently attacking each other, others were making crude jokes about killing and raping. One wolf passed close by and was heard laughing about a murder he had just committed. Don heard this and flinched, his ears and heart burning._

_One wolf noticed the group of wolves standing there. He growled and walked over to them._

_"You know you're on our property," he snarled._

_"I know," said Don. "Where's your leader?"_

_"Why?" the wolf said. "What do you want?"_

_"We want to talk to him," said Don. "We have important matters we think he just_ might _be interested in."_

_The wolf shook his head. "I doubt that."_

_"Oh, but it's true," said Don. "Can't you at least let him decide if it'll be worth his while or not?"_

_The wolf hesitated._

_"Come on, just let us talk to him ourselves, and if he really wants to throw us out, he can do it himself," convinced Don._

_The wolf looked at him for a few moments. "Fine. You're getting yourself into trouble, though. William hates visitors, but if you wish…follow me."_

_He turned. Don turned back to the rest and said, "Don't let the word_ trouble_ surprise you. The life of a Peacemaker will always cause trouble in this world for those who hate letting go. Remember that."_

_They began following this wolf through the pack. Along the way, many wolves stared at them. Some laughed, others gave looks of steel. Humphrey felt weak, being one of five omegas surrounded by about a hundred vicious alphas._

_There were also helpless prisoners everywhere. There was always a small omega wolf lying bleeding on the ground, with an angry alpha standing over them, threatening to kill them if they didn't keep working. It was a painful sight, to see such abuse._

_They stopped as the wolf stopped them at a large den built into a small but rocky mountain. He cleared his throat loudly and said, "We've got visitors."_

_A black wolf stepped out to look at them. "Ryan, you know how William hates visitors!"_

_"I know, Sam," said Ryan, "But they insisted they speak with William and let_ him _decide whether or not to kill them."_

_Don groaned at the slight twist of his words. Reagan stared at Ryan with a look of confusion._

_Sam sighed. "Okay, but if they die, it's on them."_

_Ryan led them up and into the den, past Sam, who muttered, "You're in trouble."_

_They walked into the center of the den, where a lifeless was thrown onto the ground. The large figure standing over it was angry._

_"Let that be a warning to you!" he spat. "No one tries to get away from me! No one tries to reason with me! Idiot!"_

_Ryan cleared his throat again. The large figure turned and looked at him, then at the others._

_"Ryan! I hate visitors!"_

_"That's what I tried to tell him, sir," Sam interjected._

_"Good," said the figure roughly._

_Don spoke. "You are William, right?"_

_The figure stared for a few moments. "Yes, I'm William, the toughest wolf in the world! I make the decisions. What I say goes, and no one can stop me, not even pathetic omegas like you."_

_Chris and Dwain scoffed and turned to Don, knowing he would say something._

_Don sighed. "We'd like to talk to you."_

_"Yeah, so would all of my slaves, but you don't see them coming into this den, do you?" William snapped. "What do you want to talk to me about?"_

_"Things," said Don. "Mainly…your life."_

_William's eyes went into shock before turning back to anger._

_"What's wrong with my life? I'm happy."_

_"Are you?"_

_Those words caught not only William but also Ryan and Sam by surprise._

_"What do you mean 'Are you'?!" William shouted. "Are you trying to tell me how to run _my _life?"_

_"No," said Don simply, "but we are here to put an end to this." He gestured outside. "I am Don, leader of a group known as the Peacemakers. We travel wherever we can in order to spread peace. We have mainly omegas, but we do have one alpha."_

_"Disgrace," Ryan spat, as Sam shook his head._

_Don stared at them. "How are you so sure that you're in the right place? Does William respect you?"_

_They both worked up the answer they felt like they trained themselves to say. "Of course."_

_William pounded the ground. "Don't you dare try to turn them on me, _Don. _What do you want from me?"_

_Don looked at him. "As Peacemakers, we travel teaching how to…as I call it_…let go_."_

_William looked confused._

_"It means to give up your evil lifestyle in order to do what's right."_

_Finally seeing where everything was going, William let out a loud laugh._

_"Me? Let go of all this? Ha! I could never imagine! You, a small group of omegas, think you can get me to give up being evil. Fat chance! Ryan, tell my wolves to gather the slaves. I want them to hear for themselves what these pathetic omegas have to say."_

_"Yes, sir," said Ryan, laughing, as he turned and walked out._

_Sam shook his head again. "I told you you're in trouble," he said to them in a quiet, annoyed voice._

_Don looked at his squad, who looked back at him with looks of concern._

_"Don?" Humphrey asked. "What's going on?"_

_"Stay calm," Don said calmly._

_"Come here, all of you!" William barked._

_Don motioned for them to follow him outside, where the scared and weak omegas were being forced into a crowd. They were being forced into lines, and some were beaten for not moving fast enough. Humphrey watched as many wolves everywhere, ranging from different sizes, were staring up at the Peacemakers. Finally, everyone was gathered, from slaves to William's wolves to William, Sam, and Ryan at the top of a rock near the den and the Peacemakers standing beside them._

_William raised a paw to silence the crowd of wolves below._

_"Listen up, all of you!" he called out. "First of all, I want you to know that this will a day to be remembered. Today, these five wolves, who call themselves Peacemakers, will tell you a little something about_ peace _and_ friendship. _Ugh…despicable. And then, we will show you what happens to those who try to come into our territory with those things in mind. Okay, Don. Go ahead. Make it good, because it's your last speech."_

_Don looked at William and said nothing. William laughed._

_"What? Can't talk in front of people? I thought you were a leader."_

_Don shook his head. "You, obviously, never really thought about anything much, if you are that impatient for responses from others."_

_William's smiled vanished and became a small growl._

_Don walked up to the center of the rock and gazed at the crowd._

_"Friends, we're not here to start a fight. We're here to teach you something wonderful. No matter what your 'fearless' leader says, nothing is beyond compassion and brotherly love."_

_William's wolves laughed loudly, mocking and insulting Don with every word. William jeered in an attempt to throw Don off his speech, but Don acted as if he didn't hear. The slaves, however, were already completely hooked on what Don was saying, realizing there was hope for them yet._

_"Listen to me," Don said. "William is planning to kill us, because that's what he's used to. Let me tell you about something that will blow your mind. It's called_ letting go_."_

_More laughter from William's wolves, more intense and curious faces from the slaves. Reagan looked at Humphrey._

_"This is gonna get dangerous," he muttered._

_"I know," said Humphrey._

_Don waited until William stopped laughing before continuing._

_"This," he said, "is not something childish, it is something that has changed lives, including an alpha's who is now with us. We may be omegas mostly, but we don't stand around and let evil be victorious…" Don turned and looked William dead in the eyes,_ "…and we will NOT allow this murdering to continue!"

_William stopped laughing and walked over to where Don was standing. William looked at Don for a second before slashing him hard in the face._

_The Peacemakers rushed over and helped their leader to his feet._

_"Are you okay, Don?" Reagan asked._

_Don looked at William and held a paw to his bleeding face._

_"Yes," he responded. "It takes more than assault for one violent wolf to even stand a chance against the good ones for a little while."_

_William became angry and swiped at Don again, who dodged this time._

_Sam stepped forward, growling at the Peacemakers. Ryan did the same. Everywhere, black wolves were slowly approaching the group, ready for a nasty bloodbath. The Peacemakers looked around at the surrounding wolves._

_Don looked at the slaves below, who were becoming frightened by the sudden confrontations. There were about twenty slaves below, mostly adults but some puppies. William selfishly forced them into slavery with no consent from anyone, because no one would give consent to such cruelty. Most had been raped and/or murdered at that point, and only twenty remained with none left in the area. If the Peacemakers didn't save them, no one would._

_Don turned back to look at his squad. "Humphrey, come here."_

_Humphrey approached where Don was standing._

_"Do you think you can get out of here alive?" William asked._

_"Yes, it's entirely possible," said Don, "but we may die as well. You know, William? What you say and think is wrong: if we die, it's not in vain. I will tell you that right now."_

_"Do you really think that?" William asked._

_"I know it," said Don, "and so do you."_

_"Do you dare talk to William like that?" Sam interrupted._

_"Sam, why do you follow him? What has he done for you?" Don asked again._

_Sam remained silent. Humphrey looked at him, directly in the eyes, and noticed something. It was a look that he would always remember, a look that he would see in his mate's eyes as she dominated him six months later. It was a look of dissatisfaction._

_"Sam," said Humphrey, gaining the attention of everyone. "Sam, listen to Don. He knows what he's talking about. I didn't understand at first either, until…" He sighed. "…until an alpha was almost killed because of me."_

_Sam was looking at Humphrey curiously, taking in what he said. William intervened._

_"You? You almost led an _alpha _to his death? I find that hard to believe!"_

_"But it's true!" Humphrey said. "It's true! He tried to jump at me to kill me but I tripped and he hit a cliff and a rock fell on him!"_

_"Interesting story," William mocked. "Don't pay any attention, Sam. He's bluffing."_

_But Sam could see by the look in Humphrey's eyes that he wasn't lying. Even though Sam was still unsure about what everything meant, one thing he knew for sure was that Humphrey was being honest. Sam shook his head, his mind in fog._

_"You expect us to believe that?" William mocked. "You really think an alpha would lower himself to your standards."_

_"Yes," said Humphrey. "His name's Robert. He's been with us for three months."_

_"Well why didn't he come?" William asked._

_"Because he has a mate to take care of right now," said Humphrey._

_"A mate? Who?"_

_"Her name's Chelsea."_

_"What rank?"_

_"Omega."_

_William laughed. "You crack me up."_

_"I' m not lying!" Humphrey said._

_"Relax, Humphrey," said Don. "If he chooses not to believe us, that's on him. He'll just be surprised if he ever tries to find us and he sees Robert."_

_William gave Don a look of annoyance._

_"I'm really beginning to hate you," he said._

_"I realize that," said Don, "but I knew that since I first decided to bring my squad here. __We always are willing to put our own lives on the line to save others."_

_"That's degrading," said William. "Risking your life for others. Makes me sick."_

_"Why?" said Humphrey, gaining confidence to speak._

_"Because—what's your name?"_

_"Humphrey."_

_"Because, Humphrey, everyone knows that your own life is more important than others."_

_Both Don and Humphrey shook their heads now. This was unbelievable. Was William really that determined to remain evil?_

_"Well, William. Think about what I said," said Don. "Now let these slaves go."_

_"Pardon me?" William laughed. "They're my slaves."_

_"Because you forced them," said Don. "You just took them from their homes and threatened to kill them if they didn't do what _you_ wanted. You've raped females, young and old. This will not continue. You won't be murdering anyone else today."_

_William threw a punch and missed Don._

_"Why do you hate me?" William shouted._

_"I don't," said Don. "I'm trying to help you. You're the one who hates us."_

_William threw another punch and caught Don's ear. It began bleeding._

_"Don, are you okay?" Humphrey asked._

_"Fine, don't worry about me," Don said._

_"Are you sure?" Reagan asked._

_"Yes," said Don. "I'm fine."_

_William stared at Don. "What makes you think you can stand up to us?"_

_"Because I'm good, and you're evil, and evil never wins," said Don simply._

_William scoffed. "That's the way I love it. With a hundred wolves behind me, nothing can stop me."_

_He turned to the rest of his wolves. "I've had enough of this. Kill them."_

_The wolves around them began moving in toward them. The Peacemakers gazed around and saw the approaching wolves all around them._

_"Don, what do we do?" Chris asked._

_"Patience," said Don. "Fighting is a last resort, but do not hesitate to jump on the chance to save one of those slaves from dying. And if that happens, don't try to kill the attacking wolf, because he doesn't know exactly what he's doing. Protect, but don't kill. Dwain,_ look out!_"_

_Dwain turned and managed to duck at the last second. A wolf jumped at him, aiming to kill, but missed. The wolf growled at Dwain as he passed, but by doing so distracted himself from his path. He smashed into the den and landed on the ground with a thud._

_"Ow!" he said, dismissing his mistake._

_Little did he know, he had hit one of the most sensitive rocks on the mountain. It budged and fell, causing many rocks above it to begin to move down towards them with a loud rumbling. Humphrey stared up at the rocks and saw many similar to the one that nearly crushed Robert. Humphrey was frozen in place, until Reagan shook him._

_"Humphrey, we need to move!"_

_"You're not going anywhere!" William shouted. "Stand your ground!" he added to his wolves. "We're not gonna be afraid of some little rocks."_

_"_Little _rocks?!" Humphrey found himself yelling. "William, are you blind?! They'll kill us!"_

_William seized Humphrey by the throat suddenly. He pinned him to the rock._

_"I will not be spoken to like that, especially from an omega," he snarled before punching Humphrey hard in the stomach. Humphrey fell to the ground, the wind temporarily gone from his lungs as he coughed._

_Reagan helped him up. "Are you okay?"_

_Humphrey caught his breath. "I will be eventually."_

_William gazed up at the rocks again and changed his mind, deciding to move. As he did so, his paw got stuck in a large crack that had emerged in the rock._

_"Sam, get over here and help me!" he yelled. His right-hand wolf ran and helped release him from the ground. They both gazed up at the falling rocks, which were seconds away from falling._

_William turned and ran so fast that he ended up knocking Sam to the ground. The slaves took off into the forest, scared. William and his wolves heard the loud thundering crash as the several dozen rocks crashed onto the ground behind them. They turned and stared at the pile of rubble._

_William laughed. "That'll teach them."_

_"Sir," said Ryan. "Are they dead?"_

_"I hope so," said William, "but if not, they'll never get out of there. There's tons of rocks. They won't be getting out anytime soon. If they do, they'll be too hungry and won't go for water."_

_"What about the slaves?" someone asked._

_"Forget them," said William. "We never fed them much. They can't find enough food around here because we've scared away the caribou, and they don't hunt because they're all omegas. Let them go, they're dead anyways."_

_"Well," said Ryan. "What about Sam?"_

_"What about him?"_

_"Shouldn't we try to rescue him?"_

_"Nah, he's probably dead," said William. "Besides, I wouldn't want to give the Peacemakers a chance to escape."_

_"So, we're_ leaving _him in there?!" someone asked._

_"_Are you questioning my orders?!_"_ _William shot._

_"N-no, sir."_

_"Then shut up and never question me again!" William said. "Now come on, all of you. We're leaving up that cliff over there. Let's go!"_

_They all left, some hesitant on leaving Sam, but followed anyway. The place was quiet for a while._

_William, however, had underestimated Don's intelligence and timing. Seconds before the crash, Don noticed a pattern in the falling rocks that would create an opening after they landed. He told the Peacemakers to gather around him. Sam, out of desperation, had flung himself to them as well, mainly out of panic and because they were the only ones near him at the moment. Because of this, all six of them had survived with minimal damage._

_"Can you all hear me?" Don asked, crouching beneath a large rock that had fallen over two rocks on both sides, creating a small roof-like structure._

_"Yeah," they all said._

_"Help me push this rock," said Don, pointing to a rock near the edge. They all worked together, confident because of how Humphrey had helped Robert lift a heavy rock of about the same size. If two of them could do it, surely five of their strength combined would do it as well. With much force and effort, they pushed the heavy rock out of the way and crawled out slowly into the dusty atmosphere._

_"Where'd William go?" Humphrey asked._

_"He's gone," said Don. "I figured as much."_

_"So what do we do now?" Dwain asked._

_Don sighed. "Well, we've done all we can do. William won't listen to us. We'll just have to go home."_

_They all agreed._

_Suddenly, a nearby rock began moving slightly, but not budging much. They noticed and all helped lift it out of the way. Inside, coughing and covered in dust, was Sam._

_"Sam?" Humphrey said. "What happened?"_

_"I was helping William get his paw unstuck from a crack," Sam said, "and then he ran and I got attacked."_

_"How'd you survive?" Chris asked._

_"I dunno," said Sam. "I saw you gathering and I kind of ran over, too. Then, when everything stopped, I worked my way over to this section of rock and tried to get out."_

_"Wait a minute," said Dwain. "You know that William abandoned you, right?"_

_"He didn't abandon me!" shouted Sam. "He just was defending himself!"_

_"Was he really?" Reagan asked. "Besides, if you really meant that much to him as a second-in-command, wouldn't he be working hard to get you out. I don't see him here!"_

_"Shut up!" Sam shouted. "He didn't leave me behind. He's right—"_

_But Sam turned to see no one else standing there._

_"What?" he choked in shock. "Unbelievable! Why would he leave me stranded in there like that? He never did that to me before!"_

_"Maybe a situation like this never happened before," said Humphrey. "He probably would've."_

_"I can't believe this!" Sam said in shock. "Why—_why?_"_

_Sam began feeling a sense of abandonment. "He—never really cared about my service! He only cared about himself! I can't believe I was so _stupid!_"_

_Don walked forward and pulled Sam into a brotherly hug. "I completely understand your pain. I know how you feel, brother."_

_Sam's eyes went into shock. Did Don just call him a brother?_

_"B-brother?"_

_"That's right," said Don._

_Sam pulled away from the hug and looked at Don in shock. Suddenly, he remembered how he had insulted Don several minutes before, and how he wanted to murder him. Even after that, Don and the Peacemakers saved him and thought of him as a brother. Sam's eyes began to water and tears began to fall._

_"I'm so sorry," he muttered. "I'm sorry for the things I said, for trying to murder you. I'm sorry."_

_Don looked at him and smiled. "I forgive you, brother."_

_"So do I," said Humphrey._

_The others agreed. Sam smiled, feeling himself surrounded by true friends._

_"I've never felt this kind of friendship before," said Sam._

_"That's because you just now learned to let go," said Don._

_Sam smiled more._

_"What's going on?" a voice called._

_They all turned. The slaves, all twenty, were there._

_"What are you doing here?" Reagan asked._

_"We heard William coming, so we hid, but we noticed you weren't running behind them. We wanted to come back because…" the slave paused, "…because no one was ever brave enough to come and stand up to William like that."_

_"You're all welcome, brothers and sisters," Don said._

_They all smiled._

_"I see you've all just learned how to let go," Don added. "That's it…let go of your past. You're free and safe from William now, because he's abandoned you. Come with us…all of you."_

_"Even me?" Sam asked._

_"Of course," said Don. "Even you. You will be welcome into the Peacemaker family greatly. You can assist Robert in all alpha duties, but will still be shown equal respect."_

_"Wow," said Sam. "That's great."_

_Don turned to face the crowd of slaves. "Come with us, all of you. A better home is waiting at the Peacemaker cave."_

_Unfortunately, at the top of the cliff, one of William's wolves noticed all of them alive and leaving, Sam among them._

_"This doesn't look good," he muttered. "William won't be happy." He ran off to tell his leader, who was far ahead of them._

_Don looked back at the wolves following him and gazed up, noticing the wolf at the top of the cliff who had left. Don sighed and continued leading them._

* * *

_The Peacemakers, ex-slaves, and Sam all returned and every single wolf rejoiced in the outcome of what had happened. All wolves were welcomed and Sam instantly became a friend to everyone._

_"Let's not become too laid back," Don warned that night. "As we were leaving, I saw one of his wolves watching us go. William will know about it, and will try to get his revenge on us one day, but we will be ready, because good will always win."_

_Everyone cheered._

_"In the meantime, enjoy yourselves. And one more thing…show compassion and show love…"_

_"…help the world sing to the stars above," the Peacemakers shouted in unison before cheering one more time._

_Don sighed. He knew William would be attacking again one day, and they would be ready when that happened, but for now, everything was well._

* * *

**AN:** I hope this was a good enough chapter for you. By the way, important update: As I look ahead at the story, I think it will be coming to a close soon. I'll be honest, when I first started writing the story, I only had the beginning and the ending already planned out, along with the fact I had to put this flashback as well as Robert's story somewhere in the middle. Other than that, the middle's plot was usually a spur-of-the-moment thing. Anyway, starting next chapter, I'll be beginning to move towards the climax and preparation for the final battle, just so you are aware. Until then, peace out.


	16. Tension & Trouble

CHAPTER 16-Tension & Trouble

_**Present Time…**_

Humphrey gazed once more at the faces of his fellow wolves as they took in the events they had just heard. Reagan and Chris looked at each other, remembering the winter days in which the story had taken place. It was a dangerous time, but they had no choice. There always had to be someone to stand up for the slaves.

Kate looked at her mate in awe once again. She was now terrified of William by what she had heard, she loved and respected Humphrey even more for what he had done that day, and was once again astonished by the effect of letting go.

"So," said Humphrey. "There you have it. That's what happened. That's why William is after us right now."

"Humphrey," said Winston, looking down once more and Don's deceased body. "I can't take this suspense much longer. I trust you and Reagan when you say that no one can get in here who doesn't know about it, but I still can't help but worry that I may lose my daughters in this war. My mate, or even you, my son-in-law."

Humphrey felt an enormous amount of family bonding build inside of him.

"So, we need to make a plan then," said Humphrey. "Right now."

"Excellent," said Winston. "Tony, I want you to lead half of our alphas out to Jasper and see what's going on in Jasper, so we know what we're dealing with."

"Will do," Tony said to his partner as a handful of alphas followed him out of the den.

"Do you know the way back?" Humphrey called after him.

"I think so!" Tony shouted over his shoulder as they left.

Humphrey turned to Reagan and Chris. "Can you guys get all Peacemakers in here? If we're going to war soon, we need everyone ready."

They both nodded and took off down different tunnels to alert everyone.

"Humphrey, I'm nervous," Kate admitted.

"I know," said Humphrey. "So am I. I've never led anyone into a war before. But if we stand strong, we can win."

Kate nuzzled him. "I sure hope so."

* * *

Tony had a few wolves stop at different points along the path to make the return trip easier. He and several alphas walked onto the border of Jasper Park, in which they hadn't set a paw on for days. They gazed at the once peaceful pack to see black wolves everywhere. There was not a single space that didn't have at least a few black wolves making jokes about murder. Tony led the alphas back.

* * *

As Peacemakers gathered in the main den, Robert approached Humphrey and Reagan.

"What's going on?"

"We need a battle plan, right now," said Humphrey. "Winston says that we need to act and I agree. We can't stay cooped up in here forever, because that won't stop William."

"I knew the time would come eventually," sighed Robert. He looked around. "Hmm…I don't see Chelsea."

"Where is she?" Reagan asked.

"Don't know," said Robert. "Last time I saw her was when Dwain left to show Rachel to a den."

"What happened?"

"I told her that I had to check the perimeter of the cave, and when I came back, she was gone and no one saw where she went."

Humphrey and Reagan exchanged confused looks.

"That's weird," said Humphrey.

"Oh, yeah. I hope she's alright," Reagan agreed.

Eventually, Tony returned and all a hundred wolves were gathered in the cavern.

"We need to act," Winston announced immediately. "It's time to plan for our revolt against

William's evil. We are going to war, soon."

There were many gasps, sighs, and groans. Robert, though listening, constantly glanced around the cavern for his mate.

"Does anyone have any questions?" Winston asked.

Candu raised a paw. "Sir, don't they have a hundred wolves?"

"Yes, I believe that is what Zeke said."

"Wait, between us and the Peacemakers, we have a hundred," said Hutch. "We're even."

"Yes," said Winston, "but let's remember that the Peacemakers don't usually fight anyone."

"That doesn't mean we won't if someone is in danger, and even then we only act in defense," said Reagan.

Eve was troubled. "I can't believe this is happening. A few days ago everything was fine. But then William came, and now we're here trying to fight our way out."

"There there, hon," said Winston. "We'll win, I'm sure."

"Winston, sir," said Sam, and everyone looked at him. "I do believe we can win, and will if we don't let ourselves be tempted into any of William's tricks. He is tricky and deceitful, but hopefully the story Humphrey's told you will help you remember why he shouldn't be trusted."

Winston nodded. "Thank you, Sam." He turned to the crowd. "Let's not be easy to catch. You've heard Humphrey's story. William is definitely not to be messed around with. Don knew he would be coming for revenge eventually and now he's killed Don. We need to defeat him so his reign of terror and murder will come to an end."

"How will we _defeat_ him?" Garth asked.

Humphrey sighed. "Anyway needed. I am hesitant on killing him, but it's highly likely he'll still refuse to listen to us now, so there's really no point in reasoning. His defeat will probably be death. Jack, though, I feel differently about."

At that moment, a scream echoed through one of the tunnels. Robert, Sam, and Bill immediately took off to look for the source of the noise. There were many scuffles going on.

"Everyone, remain calm!" Humphrey barked.

Shortly afterwards, a wolf appeared from the tunnel that Humphrey recognized immediately. Jack had somehow escaped from the holding den.

"Jack!"

Jack looked at him. "I've had it in here. I'm going back to tell William everything. He'll know where you are, and how to get to you. None of you are safe anymore." With that, he took off running at top speed, jumping over wolves and dodging them left and right. Humphrey knew that he was fast because he was one of William's wolves. He was just too fast, and he managed to escape through the front. Sam and Bill took off to see if they could catch him before he went too far.

Humphrey, Reagan, Kate, Rachel, Tony, Eve, Winston, and several other alphas and betas ran down the tunnel to the holding den, where Robert stood over an unconscious wolf. Robert heard movement and moved aside, revealing the wolf's identity. It was Chelsea.

"Robert," stammered Humphrey. "W-what happened?"

Robert looked at Humphrey with sad and angry tears in his eyes.

"Jack lured her in here and attacked her so he could get out."

* * *

**AN:** Another short chapter, but I think I've stirred up some suspense. Hope you enjoyed it!


	17. Forest

CHAPTER 17-Forest

Robert lowered his head and gazed at Chelsea, who still laid there unconscious. His eyes swelled up and hot water leaked from them. His mate might be dead, and her attacker was, no doubt, on his way back to Jasper to tell William where they were, putting everyone in great danger.

Humphrey looked at Winston. "We need to leave, right now. If Jack's on the loose, he can tell William how to get in here. No one is safe anymore."

Everyone gasped and began groaning. Winston nodded.

"Very well, let's move." Most wolves left, except Kate, Humphrey, and Rachel, who walked over and bent over Chelsea, feeling her heart.

"Hmm…I feel a beat," Rachel said, and Robert looked up.

"You—you do?"

"Yes," said Rachel. "Let me see what I can do for her. I'll grab some herbs from my den then be back here. I think she'll be fine, but you'd better go help the Peacemakers. There's no use sitting around and waiting."

Robert nodded and left with Kate and Humphrey back into the main cavern while Rachel ran toward her den.

They emerged back into the main cavern as Winston and Tony were giving orders.

"I want all of our alphas to be on high patrol. Omegas, you watch out as well. William could be on his way here already. We need to move out of here and through the forest so we can get back to Jasper."

There were murmurs of anxiety.

"What's going on?" a Peacemaker asked.

"Jack attacked Chelsea to get out. Now that he's on the move, William will know from him that we're here. We're all in danger, so we need to evacuate…now."

"Yes," Humphrey piped up. "We need to leave and towards Jasper for…" He hesitated and sighed before continuing. "…for the battle against William."

Everyone looked at each other.

"Come on, everyone," Robert announced loudly. "We've known about this for six months or so, now. Don told us that this would eventually happen, and the day is here. We have to act…and leave, because William will know that we're here."

"Listen to what I tell you," said Humphrey. "Or Winston, or Tony, or Eve, or anyone else who can give orders to help us. We need to move, and we need to head into the forest so we'll be harder to track. It won't be impossible for them to find us, but much more difficult."

Tony and Winston be filing wolves outside one-by-one. Kate stayed by Humphrey's side.

"Kate," said Humphrey. "I know you want to stand by me, but can you help your father? I know you have the leadership skills. I know you'll be a great leader."

A sudden flashback came to Kate's mind as she remembered what Tonya told her the day they first began planning the dominance on Humphrey.

"_Kate, we all love you as our friend and think you're going to be an excellent leader but you got a to learn about dominance_."

It seemed so long ago, that day, but it was only about ten days prior. Kate had finally dominated Humphrey, didn't find the satisfaction she wanted, and now was with him again about to help lead a multitude of wolves into a dangerous war. She was told that by dominating Humphrey, she would be dominant. The truth was, her true excellence in leadership was helping her mate when he needed it.

"Okay," she said, running off to Winston.

"Dude, where's Rachel?" Reagan asked, running up.

"She's still healing Chelsea," said Humphrey.

"Chelsea," whispered Robert. "My girl. I hope she's alright."

"She'll be fine, Rob," Humphrey assured. "Rachel's an excellent healer. She healed you, remember?"

Robert nodded, sighing.

"Humphrey!"

Salty, Shakey, and Mooch ran up from nowhere.

"Dude, where's Kate?" Shakey asked.

"I told her to help Winston," said Humphrey. "She'll be back in a little bit. With all the help we have, there's no way it should take that long."

"Dude, tell us what to do and we'll do it," said Salty.

Humphrey smiled at his friends. "This is a very dangerous fight, but thank you guys."

"No prob," they all said.

At that moment, Chris and Dwain appeared.

"Hey, guys," said Humphrey.

"Salty, Shakey, Mooch. How's it going?" Dwain asked, fist-pumping all three of them as Chris did likewise.

"Wow, the whole omega friendship circle's back together again," said Mooch. "Remember when we'd visit and play those games of intense hot-berry. Phew…those games went on long sometimes."

"Yeah," said Humphrey, remembering and laughing. "That one time, Don had to actually tell us it time for bed."

"Yeah."

"How's the log-sledding coming?" Robert chimed in. "I know that was a big thing for you."

"Awesome, I think we've got it down pat," said Shakey.

"Other than the braking," Salty added.

"I haven't been log-sledding in a while," Reagan said. "We'll have to try it again sometime."

"Robert," came a voice from the tunnel. Robert looked over and his heart fell.

It was Rachel. Behind her was, barely walking, his mate. He ran over to her and hugged her.

"Are you alright, Chelsea?"

She nodded, and began sobbing into his fur.

"I thought I was going to die!" she said. "I thought he would kill me!"

"I know," said Robert, holding her tightly. "When I saw him standing over you, ready to attack you, I lost it. How's your face?"

"Okay," she said. "I kept hearing someone calling my name. He was hiding so I couldn't see him through the den's peek hole, and I went up top to see if he was there. He jumped, grabbed onto me, and pushed back down to the bottom on the ground. I almost died!"

"Shh," said Robert. "I'm here, I'll protect you from him. I love you."

She looked at him and smiled. "I love you too."

He leaned forward and kissed her. She kissed him back and it was maintained for a good thirty seconds.

"Come on, hon," he said. "Let's follow the others. Stay close."

"Okay," said Chelsea. "Wait, I can't walk too well."

"Climb on my back," said Robert, crouching low so she could climb onto his back.

"Comfortable?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, let's go."

They left the cavern.

"Humphrey," said Rachel.

"Yes?"

"Where, exactly, is Jasper? How far?"

"Not very," said Humphrey, "which is why we need to move. William could be on his way here right now. We need to leave."

Everyone nodded and followed Robert and Chelsea outside. Eventually, they met up with everyone in the forest. Humphrey immediately ran up to where Kate was sitting next to her father. She saw him and nuzzled him.

"Is everyone here?" Winston asked. "Good. Now, the scent of our pack as well as the Peacemakers' scent can actually be smelt out here. Remember, we're not safe anymore. We need to move with caution…slowly back to Jasper Park. We need to take back our land, and stop William at all costs. We need a plan."

"Oh, yeah," said Humphrey. "We need to prepare ourselves, because William won't go down easy. We need to come up with something that involves us splitting up."

Everyone seemed to agree to that, though some were slightly hesitant.

"How are we going to do that?" Garth asked.

"How about I lead the Eastern wolves with me?" Tony suggested. "Winston, you can lead the Western wolves."

Winston nodded.

"Daddy, can I go with Garth?" Lilly asked.

"Of course, honey."

"I'll lead the Peacemakers," said Humphrey.

"Of course, Humphrey," said Winston.

"Eastern wolves can go through the feeding grounds," said Humphrey. "Western wolves can travel through the valley. I'll lead the Peacemakers in near the waterfall."

"What do you recommend for if we come across William's wolves, Humphrey?" Winston asked.

"Don't attack them unless they are putting lives at risk," said Humphrey. "Not all of them may be as evil as William. Some may turn like Sam did. Anyway we'll meet at the head of the valley."

"Why are we splitting up, then?" Tony asked.

"Easier to get in," said Humphrey. "We won't be seen as easily."

Everyone nodded.

"Kate," said Humphrey, turning to her. "Go with your father."

"But, Humphrey—"

"Trust me," said Humphrey. "I'll be okay. Besides, your father needs you. This is how you'll learn to be a great leader. This is how you'll learn non-violent dominance."

Kate remembered how Tonya and the others had mentioned to her about learning to be a leader.

"Okay," she said nuzzling him again.

"Shall we move, then?" Humphrey asked. Everyone nodded in confirmation.

"Great," said Humphrey. "I'll see you all at the head of the valley."

With that, three different groups walked off into different directions in the forest.

* * *

**A/N:** I know it's been a while, but here's chapter 17.


	18. Infiltration

CHAPTER 18-Infiltration

Tony led his group through the feeding grounds. It had only been a few days since the initial takeover, but the park looked like it had been in the process of decay for about a year. The plants were on the ground, clearly trampled numerous times. The caribou were obviously fleeing, because there was a sense of lack in their presence. The clouds were moving in, making the evening dull and overcast. The disappearing sun vanished behind the clouds, and an eerie chill blew down. Lilly shivered and Garth held her close to him as they walked.

"Eastern wolves, halt!" Tony called in a loud yet quiet voice.

Everyone stopped for a moment.

"I'm not exactly sure how we're supposed to talk to these wolves about this 'letting go,'" Tony admitted.

"Why don't we just—tell them we want to see William or something?" Garth suggested. "Maybe they'll think it's a good idea for entertainment or something. It'll get us close to him."

"True," said Tony, "but there's always a chance that they won't go for it and try to kill us. We must defend our territory."

Garth nodded.

"I guess we should just hope that we won't actually run into any of them," Tony continued. "Let's meet at the head of the valley and we'll go from there."

They began moving towards the head of the valley. As they reached the top of the cliff, they saw a few of Williams's wolves heading their way. Tony ordered them to conceal themselves in bushes and behind trees toward the edge of the valley which they all did. As William's wolves passed, parts of a conversation were overheard.

"You heard about that other omega?"

"No. Why?"

"Ryan caught him. Apparently he was trying to escape because he knew we had taken over Jasper."

"What happened to him?"

"Dead. Ryan slaughtered him. Why leave anyone alive? Like William said…we're probably gonna be in a fight real soon with Jack back, because we know the Peacemakers' location, now."

The other wolf laughed. "Yeah, you're right. Should we check in with William now to report that the valley's clear?"  
"Yeah. Let's go."

They disappeared, and the Eastern wolves stepped out of their hiding places.

"Let's move," Tony ordered.

They met at the head of the valley, and no one else was there.

"Hmm, that's weird," Tony muttered. "I was sure we wouldn't be the first ones here. It seems Winston and Humphrey got held up."

"Did they run into any of William's wolves?" Garth asked.

"I don't know," said Tony. "I guess we'll just have to wait."

There were murmurs amongst the wolves.

A chill blew down again. Lilly shivered again and Garth looked at her with concern.

"Are you okay, Lilly?"

"Yeah, just a little cold," she replied. "Garth, I'm scared. What if we die?"

"Well, if we die, it'll be for a good cause. We'll be fighting for our pack back."

"Yeah," she said, nuzzling him. "But I'm still nervous."

He hugged her. "I know. I am, too."

"And besides," Tony added, who had been listening, "as soon as we get to William, we'll get everything straightened out…one way or another."

"Right, Dad," said Garth. "We just need to get to William."

"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem," came a horribly familiar snarling voice.

They all turned to see a large group of enemy wolves facing them. In front of them, with an evil smirk on his face, was Jack.

* * *

"Come on."

Winston called to the Western wolves as he, his mate, and daughter led them to the entrance to the valley.

Kate was constantly glancing around, checking for a sign of William's wolves, her father-in-law, or her mate. She was growing worried about Humphrey, even though she trusted him. She had a hunch that something would go horribly wrong, and that they would lose. She felt Humphrey would die and she would never get the chance to spend quality time with him again.

"_Since you're the alpha and he's an omega, you should treat him like one_."

"Western wolves, keep moving!" Winston called.

"_With Humphrey being a male omega, you should show him who's boss. You know…dominance. Let him know that you can and will be on top_."

"We're getting there!"

"_Kate, we all love you as our friend and think you're going to be an excellent leader but you got a lot to learn about dominance. Luckily we can teach you just how to do it. By the time we're through with you, you'll have Humphrey knowing exactly who is the boss in dominance_."

"Almost there, now."

"Kate."

Her mother spoke to her.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Are you alright?"

"Not so much."

"Worried about the fight?"

"Well…yes. But that's not it."

"What's the matter, honey?"

Kate sighed. "Humphrey."

Eve looked at her daughter with concern. "What about him? He said he'll fine."

"I know, but…" She hesitated. "Mom, I'm worried. What if we die and never get to spend time together again?"

"I thought you have been spending time together?" Eve asked.

"We have, but not really quality time," said Kate. "I wish we could spend an evening watching the sun go down. I liked those. Everything seemed perfect, until—"

"_This is all about dominance which means Humphrey is_ not _allowed to do anything to you. You are in charge tonight. And remember:_ never take no for answer. _You got the ropes?_"

"Until what, Kate?"

Kate shook her head.

"—until I, you know, _dominated_ him."

Eve sighed. "Kate, what happened that night? I need to know."

"Mom, I was taking a break from alpha duties and I was down by the stream with my friends. You know, Tonya and the others. They were talking about not having a mate and then they started talking to me about whether or not Humphrey and I had taken our relationship to the next level yet. And then they started saying that I needed to show him who's boss because I'm an alpha and all."

Eve listened, not saying anything until Kate finished or when needed.

"And then, they spent a week training me about how I can pull it off, and we found some rope hanging around a tree—"

"A tree?" Eve asked. "Honey, only the park ranger has ropes, and he keeps it in his tool shed. Why would you find rope hanging on a tree?"

Once again, good question.

"I don't know, Mom. We just did. And then a few nights ago we decided it was time and they left and when Humphrey came home, I got kind of scared and didn't want to do it but then later changed my mind and, you know, tied him up and stuff. Then I—dominated him for a little while."

"Did you enjoy it?"

Kate looked puzzled at what her mother had just asked her.

"Huh?"

"Did you _really_ enjoy it?" Eve asked.

"Why?"

"Because something was wrong with the look in your eyes when you came to talk to us about his disappearance the next morning," Eve said.

"Well, no," Kate admitted. "I saw the look in his eyes the whole time, and I began hating myself for doing it, but I—I wanted my friends to be happy."

"Was it worth it, Kate?"

"No, it wasn't, and I just want to make everything right, now," said Kate with a small sniffle.

"I know you do," said Eve, hugging her daughter. "You will. Humphrey wants you to do this. You'll be great."

Kate nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

"We're here!" Winston announced. They had arrived at the head of the valley, which was empty.

"Where's Tony and the others?" Winston asked.

"Maybe they got held up, dear," Eve suggested.

"Possibly."

"Dad?" said Kate. "Should we go looking for them?"

Winston looked at her. "I won't, because I'm getting old, but if you want to lead a team, you can, because you're my successor."

Kate nodded. "Candu, Hutch, Tonya, Diana. Could you guys follow me?"

They agreed and dispersed from the pack. Winston watched them go.

"She'll be alright, honey," Eve assured him.

Winston sighed. "I know she will."

"But not for long."

They turned and found themselves surrounded by a large group of wolves. The wolf who spoke was closest to Winston and Eve.

"Who are you?!" Winston shouted.

"Come with us and no one gets hurt!" he said. "You'll find your friends there, too."

"Fine," Winston agreed. "But who are you?"

The wolf looked at him. "The name's Ryan. Now come on!"

* * *

Humphrey led the Peacemakers in through the waterfall. They reached the side of it.

"Here we are," he announced to the wolves who weren't familiar with Jasper. "This is it."

"Wow, it's bigger than what I saw a few nights ago, and bigger than what I imagined from what you told me," Reagan said.

"Humphrey, where's the head of the valley?" Robert asked, doing his best to keep his weak mate on his back.

"Right down there!" said Humphrey, indicated to the base of the waterfall. Unknown to them, it had been evacuated twice recently.

"Let's go," said Humphrey, leading them downward.

Chris was heavy-breathing, and Dwain was twitching slightly in the ears and face. Robert was constantly glancing for any sign of Jack and keeping Chelsea firmly on his back. Lauren was extremely nervous. Being an ex-slave of William's, she feared William would try to kill her and her puppies. Bill hadn't seen William before, since he had joined a month after the incident, but he was confident in their assignment. For obvious reasons, Sam was both determined as well as nervous about confronting his old boss again.

When they reached the head of the valley, Humphrey stopped them.

"We're here."

Reagan stepped forward.

"Humphrey, where are the others? It doesn't sound like their journeys here were all that long."

Humphrey sighed. "They weren't, you're right."

"You think something happened to them?" Reagan asked.

"I hope not, otherwise we are extremely outnumbered."

They all nodded.

"This is my fault," Humphrey said. "I told them which way to come in, and picked this spot to meet."

"No."

They all turned to look at Robert.

"Humphrey, how could you possibly have known what William would've planned?"

"He's right, Humphrey," said Sam, stepping forward. "Hey, do you remember the day you came to William's den?"

Humphrey nodded.

"When you told me about Robert's story, I was probably one of the only wolves to believe you, even though I didn't want to at first. You are a very good persuader. You're not Don, we get that, but he picked you for a reason."

"That's right," Reagan said. "Don picked you. This is _your_ time, Humphrey. Your time to step up as one of his followers."

They all nodded.

"You can do this Humphrey," Robert said. "We all believe in you."

Humphrey looked at him, who was smiling at him as well as Chelsea.

Humphrey nodded. "Okay. Well, let's wait for a little bit, then search for William a little bit. If anyone comes here after us, they'll understand…I hope."

* * *

Kate and the others were searching for a sign of anyone. Little did they know, someone was watching them from the bushes.

"Kate, do you know where we're going?" Hutch asked.

"No," said Kate. "We need to find Humphrey. I can't believe I let him do this."

"But, Kate," Tonya protested. "He _did_ tell you to do this."

"I know," said Kate. "I know, I need to trust him."

Tonya and Diana both nodded.

"Psst!"

They all turned and assumed defensive positions. Out of the bushes came a dark wolf whom Kate recognized at once.

"Jack!" she growled. "What do you want?"

"To help you," he said simply.

"Yeah, right!" snarled Candu. "We know all about you, you stupid dog!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Cool the anger issues!" Jack said with an evil grin. "I just want to make a proposition for you. Do you want to find Humphrey?"

Kate gazed at him. "Why do you want to know?"

"I just thought you'd want to speak with him before William killed him."

"What?!" Kate gasped. "He's with William?"

"Uh-huh," said Jack. "But, because I'm as nice as I am, I'll take you to him, if you want."

"I don't trust you," said Kate.

"Who does?" said Jack. "But, hey. I just thought you'd like to see him first."

Kate narrowed her eyes at him. "Where is he?"

Jack smiled. "At the base of your parents' den, with the others."

Kate and the others took off running in that direction. Many things were racing through Kate's mind. What would she say? What would she do? She didn't know, but she just hoped that William wouldn't kill him before she got there. She arrived, only to find the eastern and western wolves gathered in a circle, unable to go anywhere due to the strict supervision of William's wolves. Everyone saw her and gasped.

"Kate!" shouted Eve. "No, leave! Save yourself!"

Zeke hit her on the side of the head. She snarled at him but didn't attack. Winston calmed her down.

There was scuffling. Hutch, Candu, Tonya, and Diana were all being forced to join them.

Evil chuckling issued though the crowd. It gave Kate the chills.

"Who—who's there?" she called. A large black wolf emerged from the crowd. Kate gasped.

"Who's there?" he said. "Why, it's just me…little old William." He laughed again and his wolves joined him.

"Where's Humphrey?" she asked him.

"I don't know," said William. "If he were here, don't you think I'd have him pinned about now, waiting for you to watch him die?"

Kate turned to Jack.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" she screamed.

"Yeah, what do you know?" said Jack sarcastically.

"Don't try to escape, Kate," said William. "You're in _my_ territory, now."

"How do you know my name?" Kate asked.

"I knew this was where Humphrey was a full week before we attacked. I had wolves spying on you and quickly learned you were his mate. I knew he was here, and I would've attacked right away had it not been for something rather…interesting, that I heard."

Kate looked at him in fear. "W-what?"?

William approached her. "So…how was your _dominance_ on Humphrey, Kate?"

Kate was speechless. "You—you know about that?"

William chuckled evilly. "Who do you think was it that stole that rope and left it for you?"

* * *

**A/N:** Bam! Who was expecting that? Yikes! This looks dangerous, doesn't it? What'll happen? You won't know until the next chapter! Until then, peace out!


	19. Confrontations & Revelations

CHAPTER 19-Confrontations & Revelations

Kate couldn't speak or move.

"You—" she finally managed to stammer. "You—stole the—and put it on the—"

"Okay," said William, letting Kate take it in. "Okay, so…here's how this is gonna work, Kate. Humphrey is gonna eventually find us. When he does, he will be outnumbered and quickly crushed under the weight of my power. And guess what? You'll get to watch the whole thing."

Kate began crying softly. "You monster," she said in a harsh voice.

"Don't worry," said William. "I'm sure I can find you a mate of worthier status. I'm sure whoever I pick for you will take good care of you."

Kate shook her head and ran to her father, crying into his shoulder.

"You're not taking my daughter from me," Winston said angrily. "I will not allow it."

"Well, gramps," William said. "I don't see you with a hundred wolves, here. Now, hand her over. Humphrey will be here any moment."

* * *

The Peacemakers waited for about fifteen minutes and no one had shown up.

Humphrey sighed.

"There you go, hon."

Humphrey turned and saw Robert setting Chelsea down carefully.

"Thanks, Robert. I think I'm good."

"Good," he said, giving her a small kiss.

Humphrey turned to the horizon. The clouds were showing a bit of sky. It was a blood-red color.

"Humphrey."

It was Robert.

"Humphrey, you seem tense."

"I know," said Humphrey. "This stress is more than what I ever thought I'd have to deal with." He sighed. "I'm not gonna lie…I was really hoping Don would still be here when William returned."

"He is, Humphrey."

Humphrey looked at his friend.

"What?"

"He is here. I can see him in your face."

"Yes!" said Chris. "You've got that same look on your face that Don had as we were entering William's territory!"

Humphrey looked shocked. "Really? I never would've guessed."

Robert smiled. "You know, a good friend of mine once told me that a child keeps his problems to himself, but an adult knows when to admit things."

Humphrey smiled back. "Thanks."

"No prob, boss," said Robert. "Now, what should we do now?"

A blood-boiling scream suddenly echoed throughout the clearing. Humphrey's eyes went dead as he turned in its direction.

"_Kate_."

* * *

William had finally managed to rip Kate from her father, who was fighting with his mate against the brawn of William's wolves. Kate was thrown down into the center of the circle, and William standing beside her, looking down at her.

"You're an alpha?" he taunted. "You are so pathetic. I guess that's why you chose that useless waste of space."

"DON'T CALL HIM A WASTE OF SPACE!" Kate found herself shouting. She stood up to face him. "Humphrey's better than you ever will be, William!"

William smacked her hard and sent her to the ground.

"_Don't ever do that again_."

Every head turned to see Humphrey, with the Peacemakers behind him, staring at William.

"Ah! The party starts!" William cackled. "The main guest has arrived!"

Kate looked up at him and gasped.

"Who else is here?" William spoke. "Reagan, nice for you to volunteer to die as well. Chris, Dwain! My brothers. Shame you'll be going tonight as well. And _you_! You've _got_ to be Robert! Who else would have such scars on their face and chest. Oh, and look here! Look here, boys! Look who decided to show his ugly face again!"

All of William's wolves laughed and Sam groaned.

"You know better, Sam. This is above what I've taught you."

"No, it isn't," said Sam in a lower voice than anybody had ever heard from him. "You lied to me for an entire year. You told me that anybody like the Peacemakers, like Don, were nothing but worthless weak creatures, but you were wrong. Don may have been an omega, but he was far above you from the beginning. And now, because of him, I am, too."

William kicked him in the side.

"You don't talk to your leader like that!" he shouted. "You don't ever defy your master."

"You're right," Sam groaned through the pain. "The thing is…you're not…my…_master_."

William spit on him. "I'll deal with you later. You're not my prime target." He turned back to Humphrey, who was now cuddling Kate in his arms.

"Let go of her, Humphrey."

"No."

"I said let go."

"No."

"This doesn't involve her."

"Then why did you hit her?"

"Because she stood up to me."

"And she's the only one?"

"Shut up."

"No. I won't stop talking until everything Don taught me has been heard."

"Humphrey, I didn't care what he had to say six months ago, so what makes you think I care now?" William asked. "I really am glad Kate muzzled you."

Humphrey glared at him. "You…were behind that?"

"Oh, yes," said William, walking in a circle around Humphrey and Kate. "Yes. After six long months of searching, I finally came across Jasper Park. I sent some of my wolves in to check the place out. And guess what, one came back saying they overheard Kate and some of her friends talking about how Kate should show dominance over you. And you know what? I thought 'Wow. What a perfect way to get things started.' So, I broke into the ranger's shed and took some rope. Then, I made sure I left it hanging from a tree where it could be easily found. All I had to do then was wait. I sent Jack in to make sure you were miserable and to jump in at the last moment before she did anything too serious, because _I_ shall be the one to kill you." He frowned. "Unfortunately, Kate went much softer on you than I had thought, so Jack, being the smart wolf I trained him to be, took matters into his own hands. Everything was perfect, until…" He shot an angry look over at Reagan.

Reagan glanced at Humphrey, a fearful look in his eyes.

William shook his head. "He's all yours, Jack."

Jack jumped from nowhere and bit Reagan on the back. Reagan doubled over in pain, falling to the ground. Jack pressed his paw on his neck, preventing him from breathing properly.

"NOOOO!"

Tonya ran over and pushed Jack off of Reagan's shaking body. Jack recoiled and shoved Tonya to the ground.

"Unbelievable!" William shouted. "Another alpha in love with an omega! First Robert and his stupid girl, then Humphrey and Kate, now this?! _You all are a disgrace_! THIS IS NOT WHAT WOLVES ARE MEANT TO DO!"

"I don't think wolves were specifically meant to be kept into ranks," Robert interjected, holding his terrified mate close to his body.

"You just shut up!" William yelled. "I don't listen to traitors!"

Growling was coming from everywhere now. From William's wolves as well as the Peacemakers and Jasper Park wolves.

William turned back to Humphrey.

"Enough talk…we end this now."

William grabbed Humphrey by the neck and pinned him against the base of Winston and Eve's den. Reagan, Chris, and Dwain watched in shock as they recognized the move from six months prior. Humphrey knew it as well. The last time William had him by the neck, a horrible punch to the stomach followed.

"Listen to me, _Humphrey_," said William. "I want you to have this in your head before I kill you. You are nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing."

Humphrey shook his head. "Even if you kill me, William, I won't ever be nothing. Unless you stop doing things like this, you will be nothing."

"Once I'm done with you," said William, unable to find a better comeback, "I'll be sure Kate is well taken care of. After all, I do treat the ladies well." He laughed.

Humphrey looked at him. The liar. He grasped William's paw with his own and struggled to pry it off of himself. William was laughing. _What a weak omega_, he thought to himself.

But Humphrey's determination for Kate's safety and, more importantly, his love for her helped him budge William's paw. William glanced down at his own arm moving backwards. He wasn't even smiling anymore.

Desperate, William threw a punch, aiming for the stomach. A predictable move. Humphrey blocked it with his free paw.

Humphrey's anger towards William was giving him strength but not quite enough. William could still overpower him easily. Humphrey closed his eyes, bracing himself for a nasty death.

Suddenly, Humphrey felt as if someone were standing next to him. Someone calm and peaceful. Though no one else saw anybody, Humphrey felt in his heart the feeling of someone else being there.

Then, Humphrey thought he heard Don's voice speak.

"_I have confidence in you._"

Suddenly, Humphrey's determination soared and before he knew it, William was on the ground, and Humphrey was standing over him.

"YOU WILL NEVER TOUCH HER! YOU WILL NEVER LAY A PAW ON HER WHILE I'M STILL BREATHING!"

William smacked Humphrey in the face, sending him soaring and hitting the rock wall.

All Humphrey heard next was an earsplitting cry of wolves everywhere breaking from the circle and shouting. William's voice boomed out enormously loud.

"KILL THEM! KILL ALL OF THEM!"

* * *

**A/N:** A few chapters left. This is becoming something interesting for me even to write. Wow. I hope this isn't too graphic in any way. Anyway, the next chapter is the battle.


	20. Battle

**A/N:** Remember how chapter 15 used to be the longest chapter? Well, prepare yourselves for the official longest and most suspensful chapter of the story. Happy reading.

* * *

CHAPTER 20-Battle

The evening air was suddenly filled with hits and smacks. Everything had gone into chaos.

William was breathing heavily. "This is why we kill all the time. We need to be strong."

Humphrey weakly managed to stand up. "You think—_that_—is how you—get—strong?" he breathed.

William turned to look at him.

"Oh, back so soon for more, are we?"

Humphrey groaned. The conversation was a repeat of six months ago.

"William, I was telling you the truth about Robert. You think that _maybe_ I'd be telling the truth now? You think that just _might_ be a possibility?"

William growled. "You are a dead wolf."

"Yeah, I figured," said Humphrey. "That's probably what you always say. Why? Why are you so angry all the time?"

William threw a punch but Humphrey dodged it.

"Maybe because all of these stupid, worthless omegas keep asking me the same question," said William through clenched teeth.

"I'm just trying to help you," Humphrey said.

"I don't need your help!" William shouted. "I don't want to hear anything you've got to say!"

Humphrey sighed.

William paused. "You know what, Humphrey? I think I'll keep you alive for now. You took my respect, my dignity, my right-hand wolf. Now, I want you to feel the hurt." He looked over at Kate, and then back. "Do you know what it feels like to be standing in blood?"

Humphrey glared at him. "You're not gonna be touching her."

"Well as long as _I'm_ still breathing, I really think you can't stop me," he said with a determined and evil grin, his mind full of murder and lust.

"No!" shouted Humphrey. "If you think I'm gonna let you—!"

William shoved Humphrey in the face back to the ground. "Don't tell me what I can't do."

Humphrey tried to regain his visual balance as he began walking toward the tan wolf fighting Jack.

"Jack."

Jack turned to face his leader. "Sir?"

"Leave us. I wish to speak with Kate."

Kate shook her head, backing away from him.

Jack looked disappointed. "But sir, I wanted to take care of her."

"No," said William firmly. "She's mine."

Jack walked away, disappointed.

"Kate, let's talk, shall we?"

"No!" she said. "Stay away from me! Don't touch me!"

"Oh, Kate. You're really cute when you plead."

"William, leave me alone!" she cried, backing into a wall.

Humphrey's vision was improving and his strength returning. He looked up to see Kate shoving into William as she ran past him. William threw a tantrum and began running after her.

"No." Humphrey got up and began to chase them.

* * *

The war had quickly spread into the forest and valley. Wolves were attacking and defending everywhere.

Near the head of the valley, Tonya and Ryan had gotten into a brawl.

"This isn't how I wanted to spend my night!" she said.

Ryan laughed as he hit her on the leg, sending her straight to the ground. He stood over her, a deadly claw raised. She closed her eyes and braced for the attack.

But suddenly, she heard Ryan groan in pain.

"Not a chance!" Reagan's voice yelled.

Tonya opened her eyes to see that Reagan ended up sending Ryan into a tree, knocking him nauseous. Reagan looked at her and she hugged him at once. Reagan received the hug calmly and smiled.

"Hey, I'm not done with you, yet!"

Ryan regained consciousness fairly quickly.

"Ryan, you don't have to do this!" Reagan reasoned. "Your friend Sam is one of us now. Haven't you noticed how he looks happier?"

"Shut up, Peacemaker!" Ryan shouted. "Don't talk to me! I'm through listening."

"Then I'm through speaking," said Reagan. "If you want to live your life your way, who am I to stop you?"

Ryan hesitated, and then jumped at the two of them.

"Duck!"

Reagan pushed Tonya to the ground as Ryan's claws missed their necks. He hit the cliff wall on the other side of the valley and a large rock fell upon him, crushing him.

Reagan sighed. "Well, Tonya. It looks like this is the end of Ryan."

* * *

Robert was holding back two of William's wolves, one of whom was Zeke. Chelsea was unsure of whether or not to help.

"Robert!"

"Honey, don't worry about me!"

"I don't want to see you get hurt!"

"I won't, darling."

She nodded.

Zeke took a ferrous swipe and nailed Robert in the face, leaving three deep claw marks.

Robert turned to look at him. "Listen to me…"

Zeke scoffed. "Yeah, right! I have no reason to listen to someone like you! You think I'm stupid or something?"

"No!" said Robert. "And you know what? Don wouldn't have, either! Why would Don accept me even after everything I'd done? Because I let go! Why did he rescue Sam and offer him a place in the Peacemakers even after Sam mocked him? Because he let go! And you know what, Zeke? If Don was here, he'd do the same for you…_if you let go_."

Zeke's face displayed a small realization of truth, but he was still too convinced otherwise.

"Maybe Don was an acceptable wolf, but what does that have to do with me?"

Robert leaned forward. "Everything. Look at your life, Zeke. Look at your life! Look at your leader, for crying out loud! Who does he truly care about?!"

At that moment, Kate ran by. William, still hot on her trail, stopped when he saw Robert and Zeke.

"Zeke, what are you doing?!" he shouted. "Why are you talking with that disgrace? Kill him, now!"

"Y-yes, sir," Zeke stammered, surprised by the sudden outburst. "Yeah, I was going to—"

"I hear that too much from you slackers. GET A MOVE ON BEFORE I KILL YOU AND DO IT MYSELF, YOU LAZY WRETCH!" With that, he took off after Kate again.

Zeke glanced back and forth between William's trail and Robert.

"That hurts," Robert said calmly. "I feel your pain, man. I feel it."

Zeke turned to look at Robert. "He never said that to me before!"

"Yeah, I figured," said Robert. "Your face is in quite a shock."

"Enough of this!" the other wolf of William's said. "Zeke, are you gonna do what the boss said, or will I have to handle this?"

Zeke looked at him. "Did you not just hear what he called us?"

"Yeah, I heard, but _you_ were the one stalling."

"I wasn't stalling! I was listening!" Zeke protested.

"Whatever," the wolf said. "It's obvious you're too weak to do the deed, so why don't you leave now before I involve you any further."

Zeke glanced back and forth between the wolf and Robert. "I—I don't know, anymore."

The wolf hit Zeke, knocking him out. "Fine, join them, then. I don't care. Alright, Robert. You and me."

Robert readied himself and took a defensive stance, but did not attack. He stood there, waiting to see if realization would hit this wolf, too. No avail.

"What are you waiting for?" the wolf asked. "I'm not getting any younger, here."

"Neither am I," said Robert. "I'm waiting for you to make the first move."

The wolf jumped, raising a claw. Robert blocked it with his arm, not even dodging due to the size ratio.

Chelsea stood nearby. "Honey, be careful."

Robert turned to her. "I will."

"_I will_," the wolf mocked. "Pathetic!"

Robert looked at him. "Call me what you want. I don't care."

"Yeah, but I know what you do care about."

He hit Robert hard in the face and then jumped at Chelsea, who screamed.

Robert was still recovering from the blow and didn't see anything, but heard his mate scream and yelled, "RUN, CHELSEA! RUN!"

She did so, sprinting over to the side of the valley and began climbing to the top.

Robert finally got up and took off after the two of them.

* * *

Winston, Eve, and Tony were all battling some of William's wolves.

"Take a shot at me!" Tony shouted. "I dare you!"

The wolves looked at him and attacked.

"There's too many for you to handle by yourself, Tony!" Winston argued. "We have to work together."

"You're right, Winston," said Tony. "Let's go."

They turned and faced the ugly mob coming towards them.

* * *

"Leave me alone!"

Kate was still being chased as she climbed to the top of the canyon. She reached the edge and stopped. She tried to run along the cliff, but some of William's wolves blocked her from both sides.

"Well, well, well," came William's snarling voice.

Kate turned to him. "What do you want with me?"

"Your choice," said William. "It could be because you're a disgrace for becoming mates with an omega, or it could be because you failed to kill Humphrey when you dominated. You choose, it doesn't matter. Either way, I'm going to kill you."

"Don't bet on that."

Humphrey had caught up. William groaned.

"How many times do I have to shake you off my trail?"

The wolves began advancing, but William held up a paw.

"No, let me take him. Katie, have you ever thought about what it would look like to watch Humphrey die?"

"Yes!" Kate said. "And I don't like it!"

William chuckled. "I know. That's what makes it great."

"William, why do you have to be like this? I can help you."

"Shut up!" Jack interjected, joining the group. It was clear that he was trying to get back on William's good side.

"_I can handle this, Jack!_" William spat. "Stay out of this!"

Jack recoiled from the verbal blow. "Sir, I'm just trying to help."

"If you want to help, go to the front lines down below and stay outta my face!" William almost screamed.

Jack looked at William in shock, and then at Humphrey, who gave him a look of sympathy. Jack shook his head and ran off.

"Good riddance, fool," said William, turning back to Humphrey. "Now, where were we? Oh yes. We were at the part where I kill you."

* * *

Sam and Bill were in a scuffle against two of William's wolves in the center of the valley.

"Hey, Bill!" Sam shouted.

"What's up?"

"I think it's time for caribou maneuver number 5!"

"I couldn't agree with you more, Sam," said Bill.

William's wolves looked at each other.

"What's 'caribou maneuver number 5'?" one asked the other, who shrugged.

Sam and Bill took cover in the high grass. The two wolves began searching for them.

"Where are they?" one asked.

"They're hiding from us!" the other said.

They continued moving through the grass. The sounds of a battle were everywhere, but it was silent right in that area.

"What is—?"

Too late. Sam and Bill jumped out from the grass and tackled the two unsuspecting wolves. Both Peacemakers grabbed a certain spot on the wolves' necks and gave it a slight pinch, enough to carefully knock them out.

"Good work, Bill," said Sam.

"Thanks," said Bill. "You know, it's a shame that I didn't know that move when my pack had that war between the northern and southern packs. We might not have had nearly as many casualties. It's a good way to get enemies out of your way without killing them."

"I just hope we never have to kill them," Sam added, glancing at one of the unconscious wolves as they walked away.

* * *

"End of the line, omega."

The wolf had trapped Chelsea at the top of the cliff. She turned and looked at him, shaking in fear.

"P-please…d-don't h-hurt me."

The wolf smiled. "Why would I want to hurt such a weak and vulnerable girl?"

She backed up. "Are you going to rape me?"

"Don't know," the wolf said. "It depends on what I feel like doing."

"How about walking away and leaving my mate alone?" Robert said, walking up to the pair of them.

"You're getting on my nerves," the wolf said.

"I know I am, but when you're evil, that's what happens. Trust me, I know. I wanted to murder Humphrey before I learned to let go."

"Enough of this 'letting go'! I'm tired of it! _You!_" he shouted, pointing at Chelsea. "You're gonna submit to me whatever it takes!"

For the first time in her life, Chelsea grew somewhat angry.

"I will _not _submit to you! _Robert's_ my mate, and I will only submit to him when he wants me to, and he will never take advantage of me because he loves me, and I love him!"

Robert winked at her. "That's my girl."

The wolf turned and looked at Robert.

"Well, then. It looks like I have to kill you to get to her."

Robert scoffed. "Right. I let you kill me and steal my mate? I don't think so."

The wolf stepped forward and swiped at Robert, who dodged backwards.

"Nice try," said Robert, "but that won't work."

He walked around the angry wolf and over to Chelsea, who hugged him.

The wolf threw a disgusted look on his face. "I'm gonna hurl. You two are sick!"

Robert looked at him. "Why? Because we love each other? That's not a crime. Haven't you ever loved anyone?"

The wolf ran at full speed and crashed into them. It was so sudden that they both lost their balance and fell over the edge of the cliff. The only thing that kept them from falling to the bottom several hundred feet below was a vine protruding out from the side of the cliff a few feet below the top. Robert held onto it with all his might with one paw and had the other one around Chelsea's waist to keep her from falling to her death. Robert tried to grab the ledge, but it was slightly too high up.

"How does it feel?!" the wolf taunted from above. "Huh? How does it feel to look death in the eye? Have you ever felt something like this before?!"

Robert shot him an annoyed look. "Yes! I have. A rock the same size as me almost crushed my chest!"

The wolf laughed loudly, glad to have won the upper hand…or so he thought. HE was suddenly pushed to the side by another wolf.

"You? You traitor?" the knocked wolf said when he saw who it was.

The other wolf held his paw down. Robert lifted Chelsea up and she was lifted back to safety. Then, together, they managed to lift Robert high enough to where he could grab the ledge with his other paw and pull himself up.

"Thanks," said Robert. He looked into the wolf's face and gasped. "Jack?"

Jack looked back at him. "Yeah."

The other wolf suddenly jumped onto Jack and attacked him. Jack made an attempt to push him off, soon yelled in pain and fell to the ground.

"No!" Robert shouted, tackling the wolf and holding him down. "What have you done?"

The wolf cowered under Robert's look, expecting a kill. Robert got off him.

"Why?" he asked sadly, looking at the wolf. "_Why?_ Don't you realize that you don't have to—?"

The wolf looked at Jack on the ground, choking. The wolf shook his head and, without warning, ran and leaped over the edge of the cliff.

"NO!" Robert yelled. "Wait!"

He ran to the ledge, only to see the wolf's lifeless body at the base.

"Robert, what happened?" Chelsea asked, but gasped when she saw what had happened.

"I didn't tell him the rest about letting go," said Robert, shaking his head. "He took off too fast."

"I'm sorry, honey," Chelsea said. "I wish you had told him, but there's nothing we could do. I guess some wolves feel they have to do that."

"But he didn't have to," said Robert. "If he would've listened, he might have let go. Why did he have to choose suicide?"

"I don't know," said Chelsea, "but let's be thankful Jack saved us." She gasped. "Jack!"

Jack was still on the ground, breathing heavily. Robert and Chelsea ran to him immediately.

"Jack!" Robert said. "What's going on? Why did you save us?"

Jack looked at him with weak eyes. "Because you were right," he choked.

Robert and Chelsea exchanged confused looks, so Jack continued.

"I just got back from trying to back William up in his stand-off with Kate and Humphrey, but he told me to go away." His eyes began watering. "He told me to leave him! He _hates_ me!" He regained control quickly and continued. "You're right. Sam is not worthless, nor is Humphrey or Reagan or Don. You're no traitor, Robert. You never were, because you support something greater than I had ever known, and it's _not_ omega-garbage."

Robert nodded. "Thank you, Jack. I really appreciate it."

Jack turned to Chelsea. "Oh, Chelsea. I can't stand to think about how I hurt you. I called omegas worthless! I attacked you! I did so many bad things. I'm so…sorry."

Chelsea began crying and hugged him. "It's okay, Jack. It's the past…"

"…and that's where it will stay," Robert added, patting Jack on the shoulder.

Chelsea got up and looked at Jack, who was bleeding more heavily from the neck.

Jack suddenly looked up to the sky. "I'm sorry, Don. You were right. Can you forgive me?"

"He already has, brother," said Robert.

Jack turned and looked at them. "It's okay, now," he said, beginning to close his eyes. "Don taught Humphrey well. William doesn't stand a chance against the selflessness of you Peacemakers. He will fall. Everything's…okay…_now_."

Tears were falling from Chelsea's eyes. "You're a hero, Jack."

Jack died with a smile on his face.

* * *

Sam and Bill made their way through more of the tall grass. They ended up running into Reagan and Tonya.

"Reagan, Tonya. How are you two doing?" Sam asked.

"Sam," said Reagan. "Ryan's dead."

Sam's face dropped. "He's—dead?"

Reagan nodded.

Sam groaned in grief. "He was my friend for a so long! We were buddies! Then again…we were murderers, too. That wasn't good, but I wanted him to know what it feels like to let go! I wanted us to be friends again, but good guys! But now he's gone!"

"Sam," said Tonya. "I'm sorry, but he tried attacking us and a rock fell on him."

Sam nodded, and then sighed. "Well, I guess he'll never know what letting go feels like, then. If he was that determined to stay evil, then maybe it's best for me to say goodbye to him in my mind."

Bill patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, brother."

"Yes, it is."

"Hey!"

Robert and Chelsea ran up to them.

"Ryan's dead," Reagan told them.

"Ryan? You mean Sam's old friend?" Robert asked.

"Yeah."

"Sorry, Sam," said Robert.

"Don't worry about it," Sam responded. "What's going on with you?"

Robert and Chelsea looked at each other, and then Chelsea said, "Jack's dead, too."

"Really?" Reagan said. "How?"

"About that," said Robert. "Guys, _he let go_."

They all gasped.

"Really?" Tonya asked.

"What happened?" Bill asked them.

"He saved our lives," said Robert. "Apparently, William's so angry that he told Jack off and, well Jack realized the truth and saved us from falling over the edge of the cliff. Unfortunately, he was attacked right after this. I tried to get the attacker to let go, but he committed suicide before I could say anything. Jack apologized for everything and then…yeah."

Sam and Bill were speechless.

"Jack's…dead, then?" Tonya asked.

"Yes," Robert said again.

"What do we do, now?" Tonya asked.

"I think we should regroup with as many Peacemakers as possible," Reagan suggested. "I mean, I think it's slowly becoming obvious to William's army that they're probably not going to win this war."

They all nodded in agreement.

"What about William?" Chelsea asked.

"He's a different story, unfortunately," Reagan sighed. "There are two ways to win this war. One way is to take as much of his army out as possible, but that'll tire everyone out…not to mention we'll still have to get rid of William. The other option is to try and get rid of William now. If we do that, the rest of the wolves will feel outnumbered and probably retreat. That's a much cleaner way; it'll mean less casualties."

"Good thinking, Reagan," said Bill as he and Sam took off in search of William. Robert took Chelsea in the opposite direction.

Tonya hugged Reagan tightly.

"Are you okay?" Reagan asked her.

"I'm just…worried. That's all," she responded.

"I know," said Reagan. "We'll win this. Trust me. It'll just take some time."

"Reagan," Tonya said. "I…love you."

Reagan's eyes went wide. What did she say?

"What?"

"I love you, Reagan."

Reagan's breathing increased dramatically. He loved her, too, but he had to remember that she hadn't let go, and Don always spoke about the dangers of becoming mates with someone who hadn't learned to let go yet. As to why Humphrey did was beyond Reagan's understanding. Maybe he didn't know. After all, a pack law being changed was a major turning point for everyone.

"Tonya, we'll discuss this later. We've got a war to fight right now."

Tonya was disappointed. "Okay," she said softly.

"Come on, let's move."

* * *

"William, think about what you're doing."

"No!" shouted William. "I'm done listening. Let's have it out…right here."

"I don't want to fight," said Humphrey. "Just leave everyone alone and stop threatening lives."

"Right," said William. "Yeah, right. I don't think so. You took my right-hand wolf. No one escapes from me. You did, so I need your life."

"You took Don's life," said Humphrey. "Isn't that enough for you?"

"Nope," said William. "I won't stop until every one of you is dead. Besides, you spoke out against me six months ago. I can't take that, now can I?"

Humphrey didn't speak.

"Sir!"

A wolf suddenly rushed through the crowd of William's wolves gathered around them.

"What is it, Blitz?" William asked.

"A report of the war, sir."

"And?"

"Well, it seems we are losing, sir," Blitz explained. "I've seen bodies everywhere. Ryan's body is under a rock near the head of the valley, and Jack's body is over on a cliff."

William sighed angrily. "What about Zeke?"

"No idea, sir," said Blitz. "Haven't seen him since the war broke out."

"Okay, thank you, Blitz. Continue your search and report back to me."

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

The wolf ran off and disappeared from view.

William, beginning to grow really tired of the interruptions, turned back to Humphrey once more.

"How does it feel, Humphrey, knowing you're about to be murdered in front of your mate's eyes?"

Humphrey remained silent again, thinking of a response.

"But first!" William announced. "I think a little emotional torment is in order!"

Without warning, he walked over and grabbed Kate. Kate tried to move when she saw him, but he moved too fast and was too strong. He held he by the neck in his arm and put a claw to her neck.

"Let her go, William!" said Humphrey. "Leave her out of this!"

"No!" said William. "I'm giving you a final choice, Humphrey."

"What, whether or not I die?" asked Humphrey. William had been switching his prime focus between Humphrey and Kate all evening.

"Oh, no," said William, with an evil smile. "You're going to die tonight either way. Here's the choice: Kate can die with you, or you can officially give me permission to take her as my mate."

"You are so messed up in the head!" Humphrey shouted. "I'm not choosing either one of those."

"I'm waiting…" said William, touching the claw to Kate's throat.

Humphrey looked at Kate. "Kate, I'm sorry he's putting you in this position."

"If you have to die either way," Kate choked, "then I would rather die with you."

"Kate, I want you to know this," Humphrey told her. "I love you, and I don't want you to become his mate."

"Okay," said William. "Enough chat. What's it gonna be, Humphrey?"

"Let her go."

"Not a choice."

"William, I'm not playing this game with you anymore."

"Really?" said William in a sarcastic voice. "I wasn't aware that we were playing a game. I just thought we were here to battle this out."

"William, let her go! You're not gonna be killing her or taking her as a mate! I won't allow it!"

William growled. "If you don't make a choice soon, I'll murder her on the spot and attack you. What's it gonna be, Humphrey?"

* * *

Winston, Eve, and Tony had tried to fight off the crowd. It was too great. They had managed to shake off whoever jumped at them, but whatever attacked them quickly disappeared back into the crowd.

"Winston, I've never seen this many wolves!" Eve said.

"Neither have I!" Winston responded.

"HEY!"

Everyone turned. Sam and Bill were standing on a hill.

"Hey! You guys remember me?" said Sam. "I was one of you once!"

"And I was involved in a war between two sides of my pack!" Bill added.

"Do either of us look like we're not gonna help to end this?" Sam asked.

About half of the wolves turned to them. The decoy had worked: Winston, Eve, and Tony had less wolves to worry about.

The wolves who were approaching kept menacing faces. One of them jumped. Bill saw the face and was temporarily entranced.

* * *

_Wolves were attacking each other everywhere. One wolf jumping onto another and biting the neck. Everything was falling apart. _

"_Bill!" his father shouted. "Keep a lookout for any southern wolves!" _

"_Okay, Dad!" he said. _

_Bill ran down to the base of the den, wanting to keep his part of the pack safe. The war had broken out over who needed more of the caribou. Both Bill's father and his rival had lost their tempers. _

_Bill ran to his position of lookout. He needed to be sure that he told his father if any southern wolves showed up. _

_Everything seemed quiet near him, yelled the shouts around the territory were filling. _

_Suddenly, Bill felt a sharp sting of pain on his arm and saw a wolf standing there. He was a southern wolf. _

"_You!" _

_The wolf jumped at him, claws ready. He had a look of murder in his eyes. Bill recoiled slightly. He hadn't seen anything like it before. He ducked at the last moment in panic, and the wolf soared over his head. Bill took off to warn his father. When he got there, he saw the two rivals face-to-face. They looked at him._

"_Son, get back out there and killed the southerners."_

_Bill backed up. When he was jumped, he saw his life flash before his eyes. He didn't know what the point of the war was anymore. _

"_But, Dad…"_

"_Be quiet! Just do it!"_

_Bill shook his head. "Dad, this is all wrong. I almost died just now. Dad! What are we even fighting for?"_

_His father looked at him. "Our glory."_

"_Sir!"_

_One of Bill's closest friends burst into the den. _

"_Sir, the pack is on fire!"_

"_What?! How?"_

"_We don't know!" the wolf shouted. "I've heard it started near that area where those hunters recently left! The wolves who informed me came running from that area."_

"_It's almost night!" Bill's father pointed out. "The hunters probably have gone out to hunt. Perhaps they left their campfire burning!"_

"_I think so."_

_Bill was listening in fear. The fighting had spread into the temporarily abandoned hunter camp and started a fire that was heading towards them. Now he knew why the war was pointless, but what could he do? _

"_This is all your fault!" the leader of the southern wolves shouted. "You started this war!"_

"_No, you did!" Bill's father yelled in retaliation. _

_Bill shook his head and ran. Where, he didn't know. He was just completely sick of the fighting. He jumped down into the middle of the battle field, which was now completely aflame. The fire had quickly spread to their pack and was taking every piece of wood possible. Wolves were running everywhere, but no one was really escaping because the fire was quickly surrounding them and entrapping them. _

_Bill looked around everywhere. Was this the end of them? Was this what life was supposed to be? War and hate? _

_A wolf was running and accidentally shoved Bill, pushing him into a rock. He saw trees falling everywhere due to the power of the fire. With one sickening snap, all of the trees snapped and began falling down to the group of wolves below. Bill looked up for one moment and saw about five trees coming towards him at full speed. He got as low as possible and the trees came down, crashing into each other. A large tree landed next to Bill and another one, which would've crushed him, was stopped when it landed on the other tree. The trees fell, and when they hit, flaming ashes fell downward as well right onto Bill. Bill was trapped. He could not fit through any of the cracks between the trees and the flaming ashes were burning his body severely. He cried out, hoping that someone would hear him, but everyone else was surely suffering the same torment. His life was going to end. Now that he thought about it, he never had anything completely meaningful in his life. Now it was going to end. His life of nothing was going to end. He managed to slip his paw through the crack, feeling the cool air. He might as well feel the cool air if he was about to die a heated death. His breathing grew slower and the pain continued, his vision fogged, and he was coughing terribly. He managed to stutter three words. _

"_S-someone h-help me!"_

_Suddenly, someone grabbed his hand outside. _

"_Push!" a voice yelled. "Come on!"_

_The trees began moving. Bill looked through his fading vision and saw the trees beginning to budge. He didn't know what was happening anymore. After a few more attempts, the tree was lifted and pushed over Bill's head. Instantly, Bill was grabbed on the arms and lifted out of the predicament onto unburned ground. The fire was slowly dying out due to lack of air from the trees. Unfortunately, so was everyone else. Everyone had just been crushed and/or burned to death. Why was he still alive? Who saved him? He looked over and saw five wolves, all omegas, standing there staring at him. The tallest one walked over. _

"_What's your name?"_

"_Bill."_

"_Nice to meet you, Bill. My name is Don. I am the leader of an underground group known as the Peacemakers. We travel and save lives in many ways. This is my squad: Humphrey, Reagan, Chris, and Dwain."_

_Each of them acknowledged themselves at their name._

_Bill was confused. "I don't understand."_

_Don looked at him. "Bill, have you ever asked yourself why your life is the way it is? Have you been so accustomed to your pack's traditions of fighting that you wondered why you were fighting? Have you ever wondered if there was ever anything more to life?"_

_Bill stared at him. That's exactly how he now felt. How did Don know that?_

"_How—?"_

"_Sounds like you've got a story for us," said Don calmly. "How about it?"_

_Bill sighed and quickly gave a brief summary of his life and everything that had just happened with the war. He made sure he mentioned how he recently realized what Don had just explained. When he finished, Don spoke._

"_Well, it sounds like you haven't had the best life, exactly, but if you come with us, I promise you that you'll feel right at home."_

"_Are you sure?" Bill asked. "I mean, I don't know. You're all omegas."_

"_Mostly," said Don. "We do, however, have two alphas in the group who, at some point, went through exactly what you did, but they learned to move on from it, or as we like to call it, let go of it. Robert's been with us for four months and Sam for about one. That's another thing: we only fight wars if we have to, if there is an absolute reason. We will, no doubt, have one coming up soon with a new enemy we've made. We could use an alpha of your skill. Come with us…please."_

_Bill turned and glanced back at his ex-home, and then at Don, who smiled at him. This omega was the leader of a group who had just gone into the heart of the fire to save him. Bill nodded. _

"_Okay," he said._

* * *

"Bill!"

Bill shook his head and jerked himself back to reality. William's wolves were attacking from everywhere and Tony, Winston, Eve, and Sam were trying their best to fight them off.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" said Bill, putting his past behind him once more and jumping into the action.

The wolves were attacking from everywhere, but the Peacemakers and Jasper wolves managed to fight them off.

"This is for trying to harm my daughter," shouted Eve as she launched an attacking wolf into the crowd.

"Keep fighting!" Sam shouted. "They can't keep this up forever!"

* * *

Zeke awoke finally from the blow to the head. The last he remembered was his partner yelling at him after William had as well. Robert and Chelsea were gone now as was William. Zeke got up and began walking slowly. What was happening to him? A new feeling was coming over him…a feeling of remorse and betrayal. Why had William shouted at him for no reason? Was Robert telling the truth? Was what Don believed in truthful and more powerful than what William believed in? Everything was becoming a fog to him. He was unsure what to believe anymore. He went over to the edge of the valley and walked along the base of the cliff. At that point, he needed to choose. What should he do? Should he wait until he saw more proof but stay with William's army in the meantime? Or should he take the chance and believe Robert about Don? He needed to choose.

"Uh!"

He tripped over something.

"What is this?"

He got up, ready to kick or punch a log or rock. But what he saw almost stopped his heart. It was the body of his deceased ex-partner, the same who had knocked him out before. Why was he dead? His body looked like it had fallen off the cliff. Just to be sure, he quickly made his way up to the cliff. What he saw that threw him into a deeper state of shock. Jack's corpse was there in a pool of blood leaking from his neck. What had happened?

* * *

"I'm growing impatient, Humphrey."

Humphrey glanced back and forth between his choking mate and the crazed wolf holding her.

"William, just let her go."

William remained silent for a moment. Then, he turned and whispered something into the ear of the wolf next to him, who ran off immediately.

"Very well, Humphrey," William said. "I'll let her go in a minute."

"What's that wolf going to get?"

William chuckled. "Oh, you'll see. You'll _both_ see." He laughed deeply.

Kate began to cry. Why was this happening?

"Aw, does someone need a kiss?" William taunted.

Humphrey growled. "Don't do it."

William gave him a death stare but said nothing.

For several minutes, nobody said a word. Humphrey and William continuously gave each other looks of different kinds, but nothing changed.

Suddenly, the wolf returned with something hanging in his mouth. William immediately threw Kate to the ground and jumped at Humphrey. Humphrey dodged to the side, but William grabbed his leg and pulled him into a similar neck-lock.

"NO!" Kate screamed.

"I've made your decision for you," William told Humphrey. "You'll die, and Kate can be with me. How about that?"

"N-no."

William chuckled and looked at Kate, then over at the wolf. He held out a paw and the wolf dropped a rope fragment into his paw.

Kate stared at it.

"Recognize this, Kate?" William asked. "This is the third piece of rope you never used on Humphrey that other night."

Kate's eyes grew wide.

"Let me see if I understand this," said William. "One for the paws…" he held up Humphrey's paws, "…one for the muzzle…" pointed at Humphrey's mouth, "…and one for the _neck_!" He quickly wrapped it around Humphrey's throat and began choking him.

"NO!" Kate screamed. "NO, STOP IT!"

"Too late!" William shouted in amusement. "Humphrey's as good as dead, now! You'll be with me, and we'll be very happy together, because I'll make it so! You're in no position of getting away, now!"

_You're in no position of getting away now_. Kate remembered how she had said the exact same thing to Humphrey before she dominated him.

"Humphrey!" she cried. "I'm sorry!"

William chuckled. Humphrey managed to look at her with his draining eyes.

"Kate…"

Something snapped. Kate found herself flying forward in rage and attacking William, trying to pry him off of Humphrey. The battle continued…

* * *

Zeke was walking through the middle of the valley. He didn't care anymore. He felt he didn't care about anything anymore. His world was turned upside-down. Maybe he'd just run away. Just run away from his problems; that would surely solve them, right?

He was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice who he was about to run into.

"Ah!"

"Oh, sorry. I—"

It was Reagan.

"Oh, Reagan. Sorry."

Reagan looked at him. "You're who, exactly?"

"Zeke."

"You're one of William's."

"_Was_," he said. "I'm not anymore. He doesn't care."

"Good!" said Reagan. "Good! You've realized the truth!"

"Yeah, I see it," said Zeke, "and now my destiny is becoming a lone wolf."

"Yeah, a lone—what?! No! Brother, listen to me!"

"I don't know if I should trust you," said Zeke, beginning to walk away.

"Zeke, wait!" Reagan said. Zeke stopped. "You don't have to isolate yourself. Don't make that mistake. I spent two months wandering through forests after my old girlfriend dominated me. _It's not fun_. Survival is tough out there. You belong with those who care about you, who _truly_ care about you. And you know what? Here with us Peacemakers, we do care. We care about everyone, but most will never care about us."

Zeke began sobbing uncontrollably. "Why would you care about someone like me?! Think of what I've helped do!"

"Zeke, look at Sam. Look at Robert! They both were in the same situation when they joined, yet they were still accepted. Why? Because they _let go_. You can do it, too!"

Zeke looked at him. "Do you really think Don would ever forgive me?"

"Without a single doubt in my mind," said Reagan. "I know I already have…_brother_."

Zeke looked at him and smiled. Reagan approached and hugged him. Zeke smiled.

"I never knew. I was blind."

Reagan looked at him. "We all were, at some point. Now, what do you say you help us finish this war the good way?"

Zeke smiled again. "I say, let's go!"

A scream came from the top of a cliff.

"Oh, no!" Reagan said. "That sounded like Kate!"

* * *

With much effort, Kate finally managed to anger William enough to where he let go of Humphrey for a minute to shake her off. He threw her to the ground again and bit her neck hard. Humphrey was sent into a rage and ripped the rope off his neck. He sprinted towards William, the words of Don bouncing around in his skull over and over.

"_Protect the ones you love at all costs. Protect the ones you love at all costs. Protect the ones you love at all costs._"

Humphrey jumped at William. He tackled him off of Kate, but none of them knew how close they were to the ledge. In one second, both Humphrey and William fell over the edge and began plummeting to the earth.

Below, Zeke saw the commotion and sprinted faster than he ever had to the area. He felt a strange feeling like he never had before. He was a new wolf, and something inside of him was telling him to run and help. It was wierd, but he liked it. He had never felt more alive. He climbed up a small hill and leapt forward, determined to time it right. He managed to hit Humphrey in the side at the precise moment Humphrey fell at Zeke's eye level. All three of them hit the ground.

The wolves near Kate took off immediately, yelling, "WILLIAM'S GONE! WILLIAM'S GONE! RETREAT! RETREAT!"

They ran through the park and all of William's wolves who heard backed off and ran out of the park, disappearing into the trees. All Peacemakers and Jasper's wolves cheered loudly and ran to the direction of the noise, which was the center of the valley. They saw Reagan standing by bodies and ran over to him. Once they saw the scene, they became silent.

Kate quickly made her way down to the center of the valley where everyone was gathered. She made her way through the crowd and looked. Zeke was groaning and getting up. William was lying spread-eagled on his back. His eyes were open but didn't see anything. His reign had finally ended. But tears came to Kate's eyes as she walked over to her mate's non-moving body.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay. That is it. The battle is officially over. All that's left now is the aftermath. I'm thinking two more chapters, probably. They will be shorter ones, too. This chapter is the last of the long ones. See you then.


	21. After the Dust Settles-No Love Stronger

CHAPTER 21-After the Dust Settles/No Love Stronger

Kate looked at Humphrey, whose eyes were closed.

"Humphrey?" she said, shaking him. "H-Humphrey?"

No answer. Humphrey was still, to everyone's hope, unconscious.

"Humphrey please wake up," Kate said, beginning to cry. "Please."

Everyone watched in sadness and Kate let her emotions out onto his chest.

* * *

Humphrey's mind was swirling. What was going on? The last he remembered was falling off of a cliff. He saw someone jump at him and hit him in the side. He wasn't sure what it did. He felt a strange sense that he was still in a sleep of some sort, yet his mind seemed to be able to comprehend a weird sense consciousness. He looked around and saw nothing but light.

"Bright, isn't it?"

Humphrey looked around. Standing in front of him, who seemed to be glowing brightly, was Don.

"Don?"

He smiled at him. "Humphrey, you have done well in this battle."

"Really?" Humphrey asked. "Well, I just did what I knew you'd want me to do."

"And you have performed very nicely," said Don, smiling widely.

"Don, what's going on?" Humphrey asked. "Am I dead?"

Don laughed. "If someone sacrifices them self to save someone they love, do they ever die? Sacrifice…there is no love stronger."

Humphrey smiled and nodded. He still didn't understand what was going on, but he didn't care. He was happy to be talking with Don again.

Don walked over and sat down next to him.

"William's dead," said Humphrey.

"Yes," said Don. "Yes, and now everyone can be at peace once again."

"What's gonna happen to the others of his army?"

"They won't stay and try to continue fighting without their 'fearless' leader," Don told him. "Either they'll let go…or leave. Most would leave. A shame, really."

Humphrey nodded in understanding. Then, a question entered his mind.

"Who hit me as I was falling?"

Don looked at him. "I'll leave that to you to find out for yourself. Sometimes, even the evilest ones will surprise you by letting go."

Humphrey was awestruck. Someone had just let go? Who?

"Who let go?"

"You'll find out," said Don. "Also, I think someone else is close to letting go who needs someone very close to her to help her in that final step."

_Kate_, Humphrey thought. He knew that the final incident with the rope had really hit her hard. All the pain was being released now.

"Don?"

"Yes, Humphrey?"

"What happens, now?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. First, I want to talk."

"About what, Don?"

Don looked at Humphrey seriously.

"You left us. Tell me why."

Humphrey sighed. "I'm sorry, Don. I just…I felt that Kate would be too worried about William and all that stuff if I told her about my time as the Peacemakers. I realize now that it was a really stupid idea, because I know I caused her to hurt even more by the surprise. I also wasn't there when you were attacked."

Don smiled. "I know you weren't, but I knew you would come back. Besides, I've already forgiven you for it. You've done well."

"Did I really?" Humphrey asked, not sure what to say.

"Yes, you did," said Don. "Not because you were perfect, but because I told you that you would be the best successor to me and you always trusted me. That's all I can ask of my followers…trust me."

"Thanks, Don," said Humphrey, hugging him. "It's been rough without you."

"I'll never leave you," said Don. "I'll always be guiding you...in _here_." He touched Humphrey's chest above the heart.

Humphrey nodded.

"Now, I need you to do one thing for me, Humphrey."

"What's that?"

"Get up."

Humphrey looked confused.

"What?"

"Get up."

* * *

Kate was still sobbing very hard into Humphrey's fur. Winston finally walked forward and held her.

"There, there, Kate. It's alright."

"I was afraid this would happen!" Kate sobbed. "Now we'll never be together again!"

"Of course you will," said Winston. "He'll always be with you, in your heart."

Kate nodded.

Reagan stepped forward. "Kate, as one of Humphrey's best friends, I consider this loss to be a major blow to us all as well, but we must move on."

Every head nodded, Jasper wolf and Peacemaker. Chelsea was sniffling into Robert's shoulder, who also looked like he was ready to burst out crying any second. Chris and Dwain maintained faces of sorrow and grief. Salty, Shakey, and Mooch were confused and sad. Tonya, Diana, and Kate's other friends were some of the most upset, still trying to comprehend everything starting from the idea of dominance.

Reagan glanced at Humphrey's still body. He was about to turn to look away when he saw Humphrey's ear twitch slightly.

"Umm…Kate? I don't quite think Humphrey is dead."

Kate immediately turned to look at Humphrey. At first, she thought her hopes were up for nothing, until his ear twitched again.

"He's moving!"

Rachel ran forward.

"His heart is still beating, very slowly."

In his mind, Humphrey was struggling beyond belief.

"_Get up, Humphrey_."

Humphrey struggled. His body was in so much pain from the fall that he could barely move.

"_Fight the pain, Humphrey. Get up_."

Finally, Humphrey screamed mentally, and physically, his eyes flew open. He began gasping heavily for air. When he finally managed to obtain some, he found himself subject to one of Kate's biggest kisses. An earsplitting cry of triumph echoed throughout the valley.

Kate pulled back and looked at him. "Oh, Humphrey. I thought I lost you."

Humphrey, remembering a familiar conversation, looked around and asked sarcastically, "Hey. Is everyone staring at us?"

Kate laughed and kissed him again. When she pulled back, she asked, "Humphrey, can you forgive me for the other night?"

"I already have, Kate," said Humphrey. "I've already put it behind me. I'm not mad at anyone."

At that moment, every single wolf in the valley who hadn't already let go suddenly found themselves feeling an overwhelming feeling of internal light and happiness. Kate looked at him.

"I feel so happy right now," she told him.

He smiled at her. "That's letting go."


	22. Pain Is Strong, Love Is Stronger

CHAPTER 22-Pain Is Strong, Love Is Stronger

A week had passed since the battle ended. Humphrey and Kate were finally named leaders of the pack along with Garth and Lilly. The Peacemakers had officially moved into the pack, though still made visits back to the cave often.

Chelsea had become pregnant. When she found out, she leapt for joy and landed straight onto Robert's chest, nuzzling him greatly. It was a great day for both of them.

Three days after the war, Reagan and Tonya became mates. Reagan finally found a girl that truly loved him, and Tonya had found her mate to "sweep her off her feet."

Sam, Bill, Robert, and Zeke made a nice addition to the pack's hunting groups.

Tony, Winston, and Eve were happy. Eve still struggled with temper flares at times, but was happier since she let go.

Humphrey was still leader of the Peacemakers in addition to the pack. He organized trips for the Peacemakers to take for peace-spreading and occasionally took his own squad out, which needed a new fifth member who would look up to Humphrey as an example of a good follower of Don.

The bodies of Don and Jack were recovered and given a proper sendoff.

On the evening of a week since the battle, Humphrey was walking home to his den with Reagan.

"I hear Hutch and Sam took down a large caribou yesterday," Reagan stated.

"Really?" Humphrey said. "That's awesome."

"Hello, boys," said Tonya, as she and Kate walked up to their lovers.

"Ladies," Humphrey and Reagan said at the same time.

Kate's other friends wished them a good night and walked away. It was getting late.

Reagan began walking off to his new den with Tonya, who smiled at Humphrey.

"Have a good night, Humphrey."

Humphrey smiled back. "You too, _Tammy_."

He walked with Kate back to their den. Humphrey immediately laid down in his favorite spot. At once, Kate rested her head on his chest and fell asleep, with no ropes in sight.

Humphrey smiled and kissed her head. Everything was well. They had been through much, but Don was always right when he said that pain is strong, but love is stronger.

THE END

* * *

**A/N:** That is it. This story is finally complete. I really hope you all enjoyed it. I know there's always a group of people out there who liked where the "Dominance" story was going and will stop reading this after the first chapter, but I give my deepest thanks to all who have supported me. I don't know when and if I'll do a sequel, but even if I do, it won't be for a while. It took me about two solid months (give or take) just to create the storyline for this story, and then the writing process took me about three. I don't know. I guess we'll find out what happens as it comes. Anyway, that's the end of "Pain Is Strong, Love Is Stronger." I hope you all enjoyed it. God bless you all. Peace out.


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